


A New Adventure

by lightningstormtc



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Fix-It, Friendship, Gen, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:14:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27875165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightningstormtc/pseuds/lightningstormtc
Summary: Four years after Luffy became the Pirate King, Vegapunk has come to offer Luffy and his crew a new adventure. Luffy accepts it without hesitation, taking his crew along with him. What awaits the Straw Hat crew in this new dimension?
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates
Comments: 81
Kudos: 163
Collections: Pyro's Faves





	1. The Experiment

Chapter One: The Experiment

“Oi, Vegapunk!” Luffy, now around 28 years old barged into the oversized laboratory with his crew beside him. Out of nowhere, the Pirate King and his crew received a request to go to Vegapunk’s lab. The Straw Hat Pirates owed Vegapunk a favor for switching sides during the final battle for Raftel and turning the Marines’ most advanced technology four years prior, and it seems that he chose now to cash it in. “What do you want this time?!”

“Ah, it’s good that all of you are here,” Vegapunk said, turning around from the machine he was tinkering with. He examined the crew with trained eyes as they filed into a line to face him.

Luffy hadn’t changed much since the final battle. He wore the same vest, exposing the X shaped scar on his chest and blue shorts. Ever since Shanks had died in the final battle of Raftel, Luffy had decided to continue wearing his straw hat to carry out his legacy, and Roger’s before him.

Zoro had decided to emulate his past in the clothes that he wore, opting for his dark green bandana, a white shirt, and dark brown cargo pants. His left eye had long since been opened after controlling the curse, but the scar had yet to show any signs of healing. He had three swords strapped to his side: His precious Wado Ichimonji, the fabled blade Shusui, and the infamous Shodai Kitetsu, in which he claimed off one of the Gorosei. On top of that, he had three swords on his back as well. He only used these swords for emergencies, but he always kept them on his person. Two katanas, one with a red hilt and one with a blue hilt were crossed on his back. These swords were called Umi no Nayami (Bane of the Sea) and Akuma no Handan (Devil’s Judgement), two swords that were found among the many treasures of Raftel. Sheathed down the center of his back was Yoru, which Zoro had taken after defeating his mentor, vowing to carry on his legacy as the greatest swordsman.

Nami hadn’t changed much at all, still opting for the bikini and skinny jeans. She wielded an all new clima-tact, though, and although it didn’t look as visually appealing as Zoro’s swords, it had a lot of tricks up its sleeves.

Usopp stood proudly, dawning a black tank top and his father’s starred cape, which was given to him shortly after Luffy claimed Raftel. His trusty slingshot was at his side, along with many small pouches, in which lead to many carefully organized types of ammunition.

Sanji took a drag out of his cigarette with a bored expression on his face. He decided that he liked his current hairstyle, refusing to style his hair in the ridiculous fashion of his family. He wore a simple black tuxedo, though his shoes were specially designed by Usopp and Franky to enhance the heat of his techniques and facilitating his Sky Walk skill.

After Chopper had achieved his dreams, he had a small suit inspired by his surrogate father, Doctor Hiriluk, although he managed to his late father’s hat on his head. Other than that, Chopper decided there was no other need to change his appearance.

Like Nami, Robin had not changed much over the years. Although her clothing stayed the same, she had decided to try tying her hair up in a ponytail.

Franky wore his old hairstyle with pride. He still wore his speedo and Hawaiian shirt, his shoulder plates and arms were now painted black and gold to signify his SUPER upgrade since finding long lost technologies from the void century in Raftel.

Brook wore his standard suit and tie, a small hat on his afro. He wielded a new cane, a sturdy, brown cane with a straight handle instead of a curved one, allowing for him to wield the rapier within with more comfort and accuracy.

Vegapunk was slightly shocked to see that even Jimbei showed up. The fishman had been working on interspecies communications with humans an fishmen ever since Luffy had become Pirate King. Jimbei now wore a red garb, a garb now only worn by the royal advisor of the empire.

“I’ve been working on a new machine,” the aged scientist gestured towards the hulking machine behind him. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper’s eyes turned into stars, but Vegapunk decided to continue on before any of them could get any ideas. “And I wanted to use you all as live test subjects.”

“Why us?” Sanji asked quizzically, exhaling smoke as he talked. “Couldn’t you just get some random person to do it?”

“Because this will benefit the both of us,” Vegapunk fought the urge to gag at the secondhand smoke as he stared down the crew. “You all have achieved your dreams and sailed all corners of the ocean. This machine is a gateway to another dimension, one potentially unexplored by man. A new sea just waiting to be sailed.”

“Woah!” Luffy exclaimed, all of the words flying over his head except for the last sentence. “That’s awesome, Vegapunk! When can we go?!”

“Are you sure you want to do this, Luffy?” Nami asked, being the oh so valued level-headed crewmate.

Luffy stopped and turned to his crew, thinking before a little bit before a bright grin appeared on his face. “Honestly, I appreciate you all following me through my dream. For the past four years, all of you have returned to your own lives, or have made your own, but right now there is an opportunity for a new adventure,” Luffy extended his open palm before gripping it shut. “I won’t make any of you come with me. The decision is yours, but if you want to sail with me once more, then feel free to join me.”

“Well, you are the captain,” Zoro chuckled to himself. “What kind of first mate would I be if I abandoned my captain here?”

“Why not?” Nami shrugged and twirled her staff. “After having all this money for so long, I can’t help but feel like I want to start something new.”

“As a brave warrior of the sea, I cannot turn down this challenge!” Usopp declared. “Not even this new dimension can best the mighty Usopp!”

“You’ll all be dead from scurvy three weeks in if I didn’t come along,” Sanji scoffed, smiling at his captain. “Ah, to hell with it. I’ll come, but only because Nami-swan is too.”

“Luffy, thanks to you, I achieved my dream of becoming the world’s greatest doctor,” Chopper said, looking down for a moment before meeting his captain’s eyes with a fierce determination. “I owe you everything. I will come along with you on this journey.”

“I wonder what kind of things I can discover in this new dimension,” Robin smiled to herself, thinking of the possibilities. “I can’t pass up an opportunity like this.”

“THIS NEW DIMENSION THING IS NO MATCH FOR THE SUUUPER CYBORG FRANKY!” Franky exclaimed, busting his signature pose. “BRING IT ON!”

“It would be an honor to continue travelling with you, Luffy-san,” Brook put a hand to his ribcage and looked at Luffy with sincere eye-sockets. “The excitement of a new adventure makes my heart pound with excitement! Except I don’t have a heart! Yohohohoho!”

“I would love to go,” Jimbei said, looking to the floor with a serious expression. “But I cannot. There is still much work to be done on Fishman Island and I cannot just abandon them.”

“It’s okay, Jimbei,” Luffy smiled at his comrade. “I understand that you have responsibilities now. I hope that one day we will meet again.”

Jimbei nodded, the smile returning on the fishman’s face as Luffy turned to meet Vegapunk. “What do we do?”

“First of all, you all need to prepare,” Vegapunk said, showing an index finger. “I’m not too sure if we can even bring you back, so bring everything you need and say your final goodbyes. I’m not too sure what kind of dimension this machine will lead to. It can be anything from just a trip to the past to a place where ninjas can run up walls and breathe fire. Do that and come back here in three days, and then we will continue.”

The straw hat pirates nodded and left the building, leaving Vegapunk to his own thoughts.

* * *

“Ace, Shanks, Sabo, I’m back,” Luffy sat down by the three graves which were side by side from each other. Shanks sacrificed himself in the battle against Blackbeard, giving Luffy the opening he needed to finish off the pirate at the cost of his life. Sabo had died taking a hit for Koala when the Revolutionaries finally waged war on the Celestial Dragons. Luffy was there and like his brother Ace, Sabo had died in his arms.

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever see you all again, but I hope you’re watching over me,” Luffy smiled as he sat there in silence for a moment. After awhile he got up and used Sky Walk to find his way to Dawn Island. He landed by his old treehouse where he, Ace, and Sabo used to live. He entered the small house and smiled sadly as he laid eyes on a fairly large sack. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out to grab the bag.

* * *

Zoro poured two cups of sake, placing one down at Kuina’s grave. “I already achieved our dream, but I have been offered to go to a new, faraway place,” he said, downing the alcohol. “I swear to you, I’ll become the best swordsman in that world too.”

* * *

Nami walked out of Cocoyashi town, eagerly counting the money she had just stolen from the villagers. Even though she was heading somewhere new, it didn’t hurt to go out with a bang.

* * *

“Kaya,” Usopp sat down by her grave. Even though she had gotten better before he left, the illness had only worsened as Usopp continued his journey. By the time he came back, she was already long gone. “I’ve been asked to go to a faraway place. I know you’ll be there with me the whole way, and I’ll be sure to tell you all the amazing stories of the Amazing Usopp as we go.”

Usopp sniffled and wiped his eyes before standing up and heading to his cabin to restock.

* * *

Sanji walked out of the New Baratie, fighting back tears. He was leaving his restaurant behind for good this time, all for the sake of his captain. Well, and Nami. For Nami-swan and Robin-chan, it was worth it in the pervert’s eyes.

* * *

Chopper stood by his surrogate father’s grave. “Doctor, I have to go now,” Chopper said, choking back sobs as he placed his two old hats by the grave. “I hope you’re proud of me for my decisions and my achievements. I know I am.”

* * *

Robin sighed as she looked at her library. She had packed a few of her favorite books, but it wasn’t as if she could bring her whole library. “I’m going to miss all of these books,” she said to herself before walking out, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Franky was at Vegapunk’s island. At this point, there was only one who needed his goodbyes. Franky gingerly placed one of his giant hands on the hull of the Thousand Sunny. “It’s a shame I can’t take you with us,” Franky said genuinely, lifting his glasses to wipe a tear from his eye. “But I will build another ship to carry on your legacy, Sunny. I swear it.”

* * *

“I’m so sorry, Laboon,” Brook couldn’t help but tear up at the whale’s sad cries. “I have found my own family, and I cannot go without them.”

The whale bellowed again. While still filled with sorrow, Brook could detect the understanding in the sounds the whale made. “Thank you, Laboon,” Brook whispered as tears fell from his skull to the floor. “Please. Allow me to play one more song for you.”

* * *

As promised, in three days time, the Straw Hat Pirates met up at Vegapunk’s lab. The machine had activated, causing a wall of light to appear. “I’m not sure if you will be alone or together when you end up on the other side. As far as I know, you will appear near a person or place your soul resonates with.”

Luffy nodded. He had handed out a vivire card to everyone that was time to him. “If we are apart, use the card to find me, and we’ll meet together within three weeks. We nave no idea how big this place is, but it shouldn’t be too hard to get across with Sky Walk.”

The crew nodded, causing Vegapunk to smile. “Now go before the lab runs out of power.”

Luffy smiled as he led his crew into the wall of light, ending a chapter on their lives and starting another.


	2. An Unfamiliar Memory

Chapter 02: An Unfamiliar Memory

Luffy fluttered his eyes open to reveal a lush forest. He groggily stands up, looking around to examine his situation. He sighs in relief that the things he packed, in which were sealed in a huge bag, not unlike the one Boa Hancock had packed for him all those years ago was still there. He was still wearing his standard vest and shorts with his straw hat secured comfortably on his head, but he also wore a dark green cape. The cape was a homage to the way his father and the revolutionaries traveled around to hide their identities. Robin was the one who suggested.

 _“What would happen if you decided to fight someone who got on your nerves?”_ Robin’s voice rang in the pirate king’s head as he remembered the short few minutes before they departed. Luffy couldn’t deny the fact that even though he was now the pirate king, his rash nature had not changed at all.

Luffy closed his eyes, using his Observation Haki to see if there was anyone around. It barely took a second for a strong spirit to attract Luffy’s attention. Luffy snapped his eyes open as a single thought crossed his mind.

 _Shanks!_ Luffy shot up, snatching his bag and tossing it over his back in one swift movement before hurtling himself through the forest with blazing speed, hastily flipping the hood over his head. As he burst out of the forest, his eyes widened as the familiar sight of Foosha Village flooded the pirate king’s vision. It had only been a few months since Luffy had seen the small town, but he thought that he would never see it again when he left his dimension.

“Gear: Second!” Luffy muttered to himself as he pushed himself towards one of the rooftops with Geppo. He landed on the rooftop, bending his knees to facilitate the activation of the form before launching himself through the villages faster than any normal eye can track. He then skidded to a halt at a port as he saw a Sea King dive towards two figures. Luffy recognized Shanks and a younger form of himself in the water. Although it was a bit different than how Luffy remembered it, the fact remained that this was a pivotal moment in Luffy’s life. Thinking quickly, Luffy launched a concentrated blast of Conqueror’s Haki at the Sea King, causing it to scurry away.

* * *

Shanks held out his arm, preparing for the Sea King to take his arm. He had already made up his mind to gamble the arm for Luffy’s future. The will of D aside, Shanks had taken a liking to the kid and if Shanks had to sacrifice an arm to teach the young boy a lesson, then so be it. As he stared the Sea King in the eye, as if daring it to take his arm, a wave of Conqueror’s Haki shot towards the Sea King, scaring it off. Instinctively looking to the direction of the blast, he saw a hooded man. He looked skinny, but Shanks couldn’t determine any of his features, other than a gigantic sack on the man’s back.

 _Dragon?_ Shanks wondered to himself, seeing the color of the cloak. _No, it can’t be._ The hooded man had a much slimmer build than the Revolutionary. Dragon also had no reason to come see his son now. Dragon was a busy man. He wouldn’t be in the middle of the East Blue for no reason. Questions swirled in his head as he swam towards the shore, Luffy tucked safely in his arms.

* * *

As Shanks swam towards the surface, the older Luffy’s mind was speeding. What should he do? What should he say to Shanks? Should he tell the truth? Luffy stood there, thinking intensely.

“Thanks for the save, but who are you?” Shanks’ voice snapped the pirate king out of his stupor. Luffy looked at his younger self before looking up at the man he saw as his role model. Shanks looked at him with a suspicious look, which was a completely natural reaction. In the East Blue, Devil Fruits were nothing but a myth, much less a Haki user. Luffy paused for a moment, pondering his response.

“I’ll tell you later. Who I am is not important,” Luffy said, deciding to stall a but so he can think up of a better response later. “Is the kid okay?”

Shanks narrowed his eyes at the man before responding. “He’s fine. He just ate a devil fruit so he wasn’t able to swim,” he replied. Luffy figured that Shanks was still suspicious, but didn’t think of him as threat for the time being.

“May I ask which one?” Luffy asked. He wanted to know how much Shanks was willing to tell him, even though he already knew the answer.

What came next though was something Luffy could not have foreseen. “The Mera Mera no Mi.”

* * *

“Zoro!” Zoro’s eyes shot open as a little girl screamed his name. He sat up, examining his surroundings. He was sitting at a counter in a bar, several bottles of empty booze surrounding him. As he turned, his eyes widened. Right there was Kuina, his childhood friend, cradling the corpse of a smaller, younger version of him. Standing before the two of them were a group a bandits giggling and cackling evilly, despite the fact that around fifteen of them lay dead.

A scene unfolded in Zoro’s mind. He remembered a time in his childhood when a pack of bandits tried to steal Kuina’s Wado Ichiimonji, but Zoro stepped in and defeated the bandits. This time, there were a lot more of them, and it seemed that they had succeeded in killing the younger version of Zoro.

“You idiot!” Kuina’s grief-stricken voice forcibly dragged Zoro back into reality as she sobbed over her dead friend. “We were supposed to become the best swordsmen in the world! You can’t do that if your dead!”

“That’s why you don’t mess with adults,” What looked to be the leader of the bandits smiled down at Kuina, wiping his blade before raising it above his head. Typical. What intrigued Zoro was the bandit’s blade. He noticed the craftmanship of the weapon and deduced that it was one of the Skillful Grade weapons. Though there weren’t many cutlasses within the ranks of the named blades, there were a few. Zoro had only seen a couple in his lifetime, but he had yet to see the one the lead bandit was wielding.

As the bandit brought down his blade, Zoro dashed in, blocking the blade with is own Wado. “Someone like you is unworthy of wielding such a blade.”

“What the fuck did you say?!” The bandit shouted, swinging his sword at Zoro. With a flash of light, Zoro turned around, his sword halfway in his sheath. As he finished sheathing the sword, slash marks appeared on the remaining bandits’ necks and they all fell to the floor, dead. Zoro then looked down before turning around and leaving the bar.

* * *

Shanks looked on at the distant sea as he slowly sailed away from Dawn Island. A couple days had passed since the incident with the Sea King and he had just left Foosha village, placing the straw hat on Luffy’s head. He still wondered who the hooded man was. After their brief exchange of words, the hooded man had vanished, seemingly shocked by Shanks’ answer. Shanks hadn’t seen the man since, but something was tugging at him. He wasn’t sure about the man, but something seemed… familiar. Was it the way he talked? Shanks sighed and shook his head.

“That attitude doesn’t really suit you, Shanks,” The voice of the hooded man said behind Shanks. The yonko whirled around, swinging his sword at the direction of the voice. He glared at the hooded man before him as the blade clashed with the man’s arm, which was coated by Armament Haki.

“No need to keep your guard up,” The hooded man said. Shanks didn’t miss the hint of familiarity in the hooded man’s voice. “I’m only here to give you something.”

“What do you want?” Shanks growled, still on high alert. The hooded man reached into the back of his cloak with his free hand and pulled out a familiar looking straw hat, although much more worn and tattered.

“That’s…” Shanks’ eyes widened as he registered what was before him, lowering his sword. This was _the_ straw hat. _His_ straw hat, but at the same time, it wasn’t. It was older, as if it has seen more battles than the one he knew.

“Yeah,” The hooded man moved his hand away from the sword and took off his hood, revealing his identity to be… Luffy, albeit a much older one. “I kept my promise, Shanks.”

* * *

“So you’re telling me you’re from another dimension?” Shanks asked the older Luffy between laughs. “And you’re the pirate king.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, it’s true!” Luffy pouted. They have been going back and forth in Shanks’ cabin. Although Shanks wanted to throw a party to celebrate Luffy becoming the pirate king, Luffy had to stop him. He had something to do. He handed Shanks a folded sheet of paper. “I wrote down the main gist of it here. Right now, I have to do something important.”

“What do you need to do?” Shanks asked, his eyes narrowing in intrigue as he downed another cup of sake, his smile never leaving his face.

“I’m sure you’ll see it in the news tomorrow,” Luffy returned Shanks’ smile.

* * *

Nami counted the money she had swiped from the residents of Cocoyasi Village that day, cursing herself for not packing any money. “ _Don’t waste space bringing money,”_ They said. _“Beri will be useless there.”_

Nami had spent the past couple days swiping money from the people of Cocoyashi Village while tactfully avoiding Bell-mere, Nami, and Nojiko. She knew they were in the village, but she wasn’t sure if she was emotionally ready to see her adopted mother, along with the younger versions of her and her sister.

As she pockets the money, a copy of the news plops in front of her. She looks up, grabbing the paper as she sees a seagull fly away before looking back down at the paper. She sighs. Looks like she is going to have to get used to this way of living.

* * *

“What do you want, squirt?” Sanji takes a drag of his cigarette as he flips over a pancake. He found himself back at the Orbit and instantly enlisted himself as one of the chefs. It was the only thing he could do to keep himself alive at the moment. He was surprised to see a younger version of himself on the ship as well, but quickly got used to it.

“Where do you come from? Your cooking is really good, mister!” The younger version of Sanji asked, his eyes shining. Apparently, Sanji appearing on the Orbit was the most interesting thing to happen for the past few weeks.

“No where interesting,” The older Sanji said as he put the pancake on a plate and handed it to his younger self. “Go serve this to the lovely lady in red.”

“You’re such a pervert!” The younger version of himself stuck his tongue out as he took the pancake and left. Of course, the boy had witnessed Sanji’s antics and took an instant distaste to it.

 _If only he knew,_ Sanji thought, chuckling to himself as he made his way towards the sink. As he was walking, something caught his eye. He stopped and turned to see a newspaper. He cracked a smile as he read the headline. “I guess some things never change, huh captain?”

* * *

“And then I let out a roar of flames, inspiring the hearts of thousands of men and scaring the evil witch off, breaking her spell!” Usopp shouted, captivating everyone in the bar. He easily fit in with the residents of Syrup village, his tall tales gathering the interest of many. His younger self took great interest in him, believing every word he said. A less experienced Usopp would make up the tales he told, but Usopp as he was now didn’t have to lie. The truth was crazy enough.

“Amazing, Sogeking!” The chibi Usopp exclaimed. “Sogeking is the strongest warrior of the sea!”

“Haha, you got that right, runt,” The older Usopp, taking his former moniker smiled, wiping his long nose. “But if you think I’m strong, wait until you see my captain.”

Right when he was about to go on a story about how Luffy knocked out fifty thousand soldiers with nothing more than a glare, a man burst in, waving a bunch of copies of the latest newspaper. As Usopp read the headline, a smile ran across his face. “Speak of the devil and he shall appear.”

* * *

Nico Robin was cornered. There were about ten marines forming a half circle around her in an alleyway, her back to the wall. She crossed her arms, preparing to use her abilities when she heard several cracks before watching the marines fall to the floor, revealing a familiar woman.

“O-Olvia..?” Robin looked at the woman who was the spitting image of her mother.

“Not quite,” the older woman chucked, crossing her arms under her chest. “I’ve been looking for you, Nico Robin.”

* * *

“Come on, Franky!” Franky heard the voice of his old mentor call as he was fixing up a ship.

“I told you to call me SUPER CYBORG FRANKY!” Franky shouted over.

“Shut up! No way in hell am I calling you that!” Tom snapped back.

Franky smiled as he stood up and walked over to see Tom sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper. “What ya reading, old man?”

“The news is quite interesting today,” Tom replied. “It’s about some kid who…”

Franky smiled.

* * *

“Yohohoho!” Brook laughed as he had just said another bone tickling pun. “Skull joke!”

“You’re going to make me cough up a lung with all these jokes!” Another Brook said. “Except I don’t have lungs! Yohohoho!”

“You have a great sense of humor, my friend!” Rook (we’re just going to call future Brook Rook to avoid confusion) exclaimed. “Now, would you like to sing with me?”

“I thought you would never ask!” As the two skeletons were about to break out into song, a newspaper fell from the sky, landing right in between them. Rook walked over and picked up the newspaper, his smile going soft.

“What is it?” Brook asked, curious.

“My captain,” Rook replied, smiling as he looked at the article on the front page.

* * *

**An Unspeakable Crime! Execution Platform at Loguetown Destroyed!**

**Earlier today, a mysterious man in a cloak hopped onto the top of the Execution platform of Gold Roger! He stood still as residents of the town and marines alike gathered. As the marines requested for him to calm down, the cloaked man raised his arm up and stomped on the platform, completely destroying it! What could this act of rebellion be? Who is this mysterious man! The marines are on the case as we speak. If you know of this man, please contact your local marine base immediately. He is wearing a green cloak and his left arm has the marking ~~3W~~ 8Y.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As you can see, I'm setting things up to be in "the past", but have different elements introduced. Right now, I only have a couple ideas in which I will reveal to you periodically. As of now, I'm having trouble coming up with names for the future Straw Hat crew, so if you have suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments! Also feel free to leave critiques and ideas in the comments as well. I would love to read what you think about the series. Also feel free to start discussions in the comments as well. I love talking about my fics with readers, and honestly, the comments help me come up with ideas. If I do use your idea, I will credit you. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. The Hawk and the Demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First thing's first, I realize that I forgot Chopper in the last chapter. As well as me just being forgetful writing at 3 am, Chopper doesn't eat the Hito Hito no Mi for a couple years in the timeline as far as I know. I'm going to chalk it up to the machine malfunctioning as Chopper isn't an actual human. Second of all, I started reading One Piece again after writing this, and I realized that I messed up. As for what I'm going to do about Enma, I'm going to retcon that in the next chapter. If there's anything else I missed, feel free to think. Thank you.

Chapter 03: The Hawk and the Demon

Luffy planted his feet on the ground of Dawn Island not long after he destroyed the execution platform. If he remembered correctly, then _he_ should arrive right about…

“Ah, shit,” Luffy muttered as he felt a strong presence washed over him. He turned his head slightly to face the sea and spotted a Navy ship slowly approaching. Chances are he wasn’t noticed, but with his Shitty Gramps, he can’t take chances. He made a break for the woods to bring some distance between them. He needed a plan. He couldn’t hide from Garp forever, but he wanted to stay with his younger self. He wanted to help his younger self. As he dived into the woods, an idea started to form in his head.

* * *

“Hahaha!” Garp’s laugh echoed throughout the island as he hopped down from the Galleon. It was time to take Luffy up to that hag so he can train to be a great marine. His presence was easy to find, but Garp pinpointed another presence similar to Luffy’s but… stronger… more distinct. Garp brushed it off as some pirate on the island. Maybe he’ll deal with it after he’s done with Luffy.

“FIST OF LOVE!” Garp dived in towards his grandson, punching him in the face.

“Ow!” Luffy cried out as he was launched towards a wall. “Why do you have to hit me every time, Shitty Gramps?!”

“It’s only tough love! Bwahahaha!” Garp laughed. Despite hitting his grandson constantly, he did care for the boy. “Anyways, let’s go!”

“Go where?” Luffy asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“You’ll find out!” Garp bellowed as he grabbed the boy and dashing off into the forest.

“Leaving your kid with bandits may not be the best way to raise a marine,” As Garp ran through the woods and up the hill, a voice passed him by, causing him to stop. Garp turned to see a hooded man leaning on a tree.

“Marine?” Luffy struggled in Garp’s arm. “I’m going to be the Pirate King!”

“What the hell did you just say?!” Garp hit Luffy over the head, completely ignoring the hooded man.

“I like his spirit,” The hooded man said after a few chuckles. “Let me take care of him.”

Garp narrowed his eyes, and that was when he realized who he was facing. The cloak was identical to the man who destroyed the execution platform in Loguetown. He dropped Luffy and dashed towards the man, throwing a hook coated in haki. “Why would I want to leave my grandson with a criminal like you?!”

The hooded man caught the punch with a hand coated in haki, the force causing the winds to spur. “Because,” the hooded man said calmly as the wind caused the hood of his cloak to fly off his head, revealing a man who looked uncannily like Luffy. “He’s family.”

* * *

Kuina hit the training dummy she had been attacking for the past few hours. Ever since Zoro had died, she had thrown herself into training. She now had to carry both of their dreams on her shoulders. Damn that idiot. Why did he have to leave her alone? Blood trickled down her hands as she tried to steady herself. She gasped softly as her knees gave out. She fell to one knee, using the practice sword she had been using for support.

“Damnit!” Kuina shouted, tears forming in her eyes. “What do I do, Zoro..?”

“Rest, first,” A voice from behind Kuina caused her to jump. She turned her head to see the swordsman that saved her the day before. Now that she looked at him, he _did_ look like Zoro. He had the same mossy, green hair, the same sharp brown eyes, the same dumb scowl. The rest of his body was covered in a dark green cloak. Kuina vaguely remembered seeing a similar cloak in a newspaper she caught her father, Koushiro reading. “You’re not going to make any progress in that state.”

“Why are you here?” Kuina asked. The question had a double meaning. Why did this man seek out Kuina? More importantly, why and how did he appear on private property out of thin air.

“Your sword,” The man said after a slight hesitation, seemingly staring into the young lady’s soul. Kuina remembered his comment to the bandit leader when he saw his cutlass. Was he going to tell her she’s not worthy too? Why? Was it because she was a girl? It wasn’t fair. Why do people keep judging based off her gender? “You have potential to wield that sword properly. I want to teach you.”

That statement threw Kuina for a loop. She knew nothing about this man, and she could only assume he knew nothing about her, but he wanted to teach her. First of all, what made this man think he was skilled enough to train her? She was studying under her father, Koushiro, a master swordsman from _Wano Kuni_ of all places. There weren’t many people who could top that.

Speaking of which, the man walked out into the training field. “Kuina, it’s been five hours. What are you-“ he cut himself off as he saw the mysterious man. Koushiro’s gentle expression turned into a sharp glare. “Who are you.” His tone came out more of a demand than a question.

To the surprise of both Koushiro and his daughter, the man turned and bowed to the man. “Kushiro-dono. My name is Asura. I am a wandering ronin who has been travelling when I saw your daughter with the Wado Ichimonji and took interest, so I decided to pay a visit. I hope I am not intruding too much.”

Kuina was about to say retort when she stopped herself when the man rose to look at her father. Koushiro’s glare did not falter as he rested his hand on the sheathe of his sword. What perplexed the girl was the man, Asura as he named himself. He stared back at the master swordsman with a completely calm expression, his hands at his sides. He showed absolutely no hostility. After what felt like hours, Koushiro’s expression relaxed slightly, his hand never leaving his sheathe. “What do you want with us, Asura-dono?”

“I wanted to assist in training your daughter,” Asura stated simply, causing Koushiro’s hand to falter. A brief pause permeated the training area.

“There is only one way to know the truth,” Koushiro turned around and started walking away. “Come, let us speak with our swords.”

Asura smirked and followed the swordsman.

* * *

“Family?” Garp asked, utterly flabbergasted. “I don’t recall having another son.”

“I’m sure, since your last one turned out great,” The man said, causing Garp to flinch. In Garp’s eyes, Dragon was the ultimate failure. The complete opposite of a great marine. “No, I’m from the other side.”

“You’re Dragon’s brother-in-law?” Garp asked, still shellshocked.

“Something like that,” The man snickered. “Call me Hawks.”

“Okay, ‘Hawks’,” Garp narrowed his eyes, still suspicious. “What do you want to do with Luffy?”

“The exact same thing you are,” Hawks replied. “I know all about your rival’s kid.”

“How much do you know?” This was only succeeding in making Garp more suspicious.

“Just that,” Hawks said, shrugging his shoulders. “Don’t worry! I’ll make him into a great Marine! Shishishishi!”

“Screw the Marines!” Luffy shouted from behind Garp. “I’m going to become the pirate king!”

“Fine,” Garp grumbled, ignoring his grandson. He could tell that this man wouldn’t let up. “You better keep your promise!”

Hawks only smile and wink as Garp walked off, grumbling.

* * *

Hawks sighed with relief as he took out a piece of paper with writing on it and ripping it up. “I don’t have to worry about this anymore! Stupid planning. My head almost exploded!”

“Mister, are you really going to make me into a marine?” Luffy asked the man

“Nope!” Hawks turned to look at Luffy, smiling and giggling. “Just don’t tell your Grandpa, okay? You’re going to become the best pirate king ever!”

“Yeah!” Luffy usually never understood adult talk, but when Hawks spoke to him, it seemed easier to understand. It was either that or “best pirate king ever” really resonated with the young boy. “I’m going to be the pirate king!”

“You sure are,” Hawks said fondly. “Let’s get to the top of the mountain first, okay?”

* * *

Asura and Koushiro stood about five meters away from each other in an open clearing with Kuina as a witness. “I thank you for this opportunity, Kourshiro-dono,” Asura said respectfully. Kuina noted that this man wasn’t like most of the ruffians in this island. Certainly not like the ones who killed Zoro.

“No need to thank me, Asura-dono. Clashing swords is the best way to learn about one another,” Koushiro said, bowing. Asura mimicked the movements of the master swordsman before the two drew their swords.

“That’s..!” Kuina gasped as she saw the blade that Asura dawned.

“The Shodai Kitetsu,” Koushiro finished. Even Kuina knew what the Kitetsu blades were. Koushiro had run into the wielder of the Sandai Kitetsu years ago, their cataclysmic duel ending in a draw. “I’m sure you’re aware of the curse on such a blade.”

“Only those who can quell the killing intent of this cursed blade can wield this blade to its full potential,” Asura replied stoically. “Rest assured, I shall not aim to kill you.”

“Well said,” Koushiro said, dashing towards his opponent. “But such thoughts will lead to your death!”

“360 Pound Phoenix!” Asura swung his sword, creating a slash in the air and launching itself towards Koushiro. As he parried the attack, Zoro dashed behind him and swung at him. Koushiro cut the air slash and turned to block Asura’s attack in one, fluid motion.

“Your swordsmanship is good, but you’re holding back,” Koushiro launched Zoro back and created several slashes of air.

“Fine,” Asura glared at him, re-sheathing his sword. “Death-Lion’s Song.”

With a single slice, he cut all the air slashes that was launched towards him. As he sheathed his sword, Koushiro’s sword was sliced in two and a huge gash appeared on Koushiro’s chest.

“I see,” Koushiro said, a smile on his face as he fell backwards, his eyes closed.

“Papa!” Kuina ran over to her fallen father.

“Relax,” Asura walked over to his fallen foe and picked him up. “Something small like that won’t kill your father. Now, let’s go back to the dojo so we can patch him up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. Names. I'm sure you've realized that I named Luffy and Zoro after their techniques. That's not the main reason why I named them after them, though. I named Luffy Hawks as a homage to "Red Hawk". The reason why I did this was this was the technique that Luffy discovered Ace's Fire, so I feel like Luffy would take that name to honor the memory of his Ace. Even if things turn out different in this timeline, I feel like Luffy would want to keep a part of his old timeline with him. As for Asura, aside from it sounding badass, I want it to signify that Zoro has accepted his cursed, demonic nature and I wanted him to have that name to prove (mostly to himself) that he has overcome the curses of the Kitetsu blades and his demonic abilities. Anyways, as always, feel free to comment your thoughts and ideas. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	4. Fish out of Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haha Arlong go brrrrrrrr

Chapter 04: Fish out of Water

Nami expertly weaved her way through the store, swiping spare wads of cash and wallets. As much as she wanted to haggle her way into buying the store for 50 Beri, she was trying to keep a semi-low profile. At least until Arlong arrived. She slipped out of the store, turning left to go back to the small house she had bought out in the edge of the village. As she headed towards her house, she made a turn before a small girl ran into her.

“Sorry, miss!” The little girl chirped. Nami gave the girl one look, her face unreadable. After a second, Nami put a hand on the girl’s head.

“It’s okay,” Nami smiled sweetly at the girl. “It happens.”

The small girl smiled back and ran off.

* * *

Chibi Nami ran off into an alley, snickering. That lady was loaded! She excitedly crammed her hands in her pockets, ready to count her spoils. To her mounting horror, she realized that her pockets were empty.

“Looking for this?” Just as she started to panic, a familiar voice rang out from behind her. She turned to see the woman from earlier, not just holding the money she stole from her, but the money that she had stole from other people previously.

“Give that back!” Nami shouted, running up to the woman, trying to grab the money. The woman held the money above her head and out of Nami’s reach.

“Hey, finder’s keepers,” the woman replied, a huge smile on her face.

“Please?” Nami resorted to the puppy dog eyes she had used so many times to woo the heart of the residents of her village.

The woman pocketed the money in her back pocket and knelt down to Nami’s eye level. “That won’t work on me,” She said, causing Nami to look down. “But I _will_ give you something else.”

“Really?” Nami’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah, come on!” The woman stood up. “I’m going to teach you how to steal better.”

Nami eyes shot up. Bell-mere would never condone this kind of activity. She liked this woman already.

“Oh, and by the way,” The woman stopped and turned her head to face Nami, a soft smile on her face. “My name’s Lami. Nice to meet you.”

* * *

Bell-mere was worried. Nami told her she was going to look at clothes, but it has been four hours and the sun was starting to set. She made her way to town, frantically looking around. She checked every store, every bar. It was about fifteen minutes into her search when she heard the laughter of a woman and a girl. She turned her head to see Nami with an adult woman whose flowing hair was the exact same shade as her adopted child’s.

“Nami!” Bell-mere shouted over. Both Nami and the woman looked at Bell-mere. Nami’s eyes shone with excitement, but Bell-mere didn’t miss the pale expression from the woman. She ran over and hugged her daughter. “What were you doing?! I was so worried.”

“Lami and I were running around town! It was so much fun!” When Bell-mere shot the woman, Lami as her daughter named her, her face had regained color, but Bell-mere noticed the emotions flowing through her face. Guilt… sadness… Bell-mere thought she could read some nostalgia from her face, but the ex-navy captain chalked it up to seeing things.

“That’s nice, Nami,” Bell-mere sighed. “Can you go back to the house and help Nojiko with dinner? I need to talk to your new friend for a second.”

“Okay, Bell-mere!” Nami ran off, waving at the two women. “By Lami!”

If looks could kill, Lami would be dead twice over. “I suggest you stay away from me and my daughter from now on.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Lami looked down guiltily. For a second, Bell-mere thought that this Lami woman didn’t intend to kidnap her daughter and do unthinkable things, but the woman’s actions were too suspicious. Bell-mere sighed. She felt like she was scolding a child. She scoffed and walked away, leaving Lami to her own devices.

* * *

The sound of a gunshot woke Lami. She woke with a start and immediately reached out with observation haki. _No,_ she thought, her fear rising. Although she was never able to learn Arlong’s particular spirit, she was able to learn Hachi’s, along with the fact that fishmen had distinctly different auras to that of humans. She grabbed her clima-tact and dashed out of her house.

* * *

Nami watched in mounting horror as the person she distinctly remembered as the storekeeper that she pickpocketed the previous day with Lami fell over, dead by the gunshot of the giant fishman. Bell-mere wrapped her arms around her two children, glaring at the fishman.

“Anyone else want to speak up?” Arlong sneered. Although the crowd stayed silent, Bell-mere’s glare permeated into the captain of the Arlong pirates. A tense moment passed before he laid eyes on the ex-marine. Arlong scoffed.

“You,” he moved his gun towards the three. “I don’t like your eyes. Give me one of those children. You need to be taught a lesson.”

“I refuse,” the response from Bell-mere was instant. Nami may have been young, but she wasn’t done. As she put two and two together, her face paled as she realized the likely solution. Just as the lightbulb went off in her head, Arlong fixated the pistol at Bell-mere’s head, a wicked smile forming on his face.

“Then di-“

“Thunderbolt Tempo!” A shout could be heard from behind Arlong as a small thundercloud appeared over Arlong, a bolt of lightning zapping him. Lami jumps over Arlong, doing a flip before landing between the fishman and his target. “I can’t let you hurt anyone else.”

* * *

“You…” Arlong stumbled a bit, but stood his ground. Lami was shocked to see this, as an attack of that caliber would knock out the Arlong she knew, but then it clicked in her head. By the time Luffy had fought Arlong, he had been fattening himself up in the East Blue for _years_. Right now, he was fresh from the New World and therefore much stronger than she used to know him as.

“Coming all the way from the New World to terrorize some human eh, Arlong?” Lami pointed her staff at the Fishman, who was seething at this point. The shock was wearing off, quickly being replaced by rage at the mere notion that Arlong would try to take her adopted mother away from her _again_. She honestly couldn’t care less if Bell-mere thought she was some kind of creep, or even if she died fighting Arlong. All she cared about was the safety of Nami, Nojiko, and Bell-mere. “Fisher Tiger is probably rolling in his grave as we speak.”

“A filthy human like you should not speak his name!” Arlong shouted in rage, his eyes all but turning red as he prepared to strike. “3000 Tile True Punch!”

As Arlong attacked Lami, she coated her clima-tact with Armament Haki. Admittedly, she was nowhere near Zoro’s level when it came to using Haki with her weapon, she still had a pretty good grasp on it, despite Observation Haki being her specialty. Due to her attachment to the clima-tact, having used it for years in its many different variations, she has been able to mold her spirit with the staff. If she used any other kind of weapon, she wouldn’t be able to use it with Haki. Lami held out her staff, catching Arlong’s punch right in the middle of the weapon. “Is that all you got?”

* * *

 _A Haki user?!_ Bell-mere watched the two titans clash, the grip on her children only tightening. Bell-mere remembered her last assignment before retiring. She was stationed on an island in the New World, and although she never learned how to use it herself, she managed to learn quite a bit about the craft. One of those things being a Haki user has absolutely _no_ business in the East Blue. That notion only brought up more questions in her head. What did Lami have to do with Nami? Why would this woman who could go toe-to-toe with a new world pirate just casually approach her daughter? If Lami wanted to do something to or with the girl, she would have done it the previous day. Also, why would someone so powerful hang her head like a scolded child when Bell-mere glared at her? From what Bell-mere learned from the New World, an advanced Haki user could kill someone, even if they were as strong as a marine captain with but a single thought. None of it made sense, but that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was that her two daughters were safe.

“Murasame!” Arlong roared, shooting a hail of projectiles at Lami at point blank.

“Rauin Rod: Chain Lightning!” With a wave of her staff, a black cloud separated the two combatants. As the water projectiles only succeeded to dissolve into the cloud, making it bigger, Bell-mere could barely register sparks of electricity travelling from one droplet to another, as if creating a pathway to Arlong. As the electricity finally linked with the source of the projectile, Arlong screamed in pain as he was shocked hundreds of times in rapid succession. As that transpired, Lami launched an egg from her staff, launching itself from the staff, stopping midair above Arlong.

“Avenge my mother, Lightning-chan!” Lami shouted as she swung her staff down. As she did, the egg started to crack. Even though there was no physical contact between the staff and the egg, Bell-mere knew that the two actions were correlated. “Thunder Breed Tempo!”

As the egg hatched, a giant black cloud formed, covering the entire island. Lami gave Arlong a cold expression as the bottom of the clouds started to glow yellow and lightning rained down on the island. Bell-mere turned her back towards the sky with full intent to withstand any lightning that fell upon them, but all the lightning was focused on a single point: Arlong. Arlong screamed out in pain for what seemed like hours as an endless stream of lightning struck the fishman over and over. Only when the color faded from his eyes did the lightning stop and the clouds disperse. Arlong fell over, dead or unconscious as Lami fell to her knees.

Bell-mere saw Lami’s lips move as she lowered her head to stare at the floor though was unable to hear it due to the ringing in her ears. After a few moments she stood up again and looked at the fishmen, who stared at the woman with abject terror.

“Anyone else want to speak up?” Lami sneered, obviously mocking her fallen foe, her face contorting in disgust. A couple fishmen walked up to grab their fallen captain as the crew scurried off. She then turned to Bell-mere and walked over to her. Instead of looking at Lami with fear, the ex-marine gazed upon her with uncertain eyes. She really couldn’t predict what Lami would say or do, neither could she determine what she was thinking. To practically the entire village’s shock, the woman that had just defended the village from the tyrannical fishman who just happened to be a New World pirate bowed before Bell-mere and her two children.

“I’m very sorry for my actions yesterday,” Lami said, sincerity flowing through her voice. “It was not my intention to do anything malicious with Nami. I hope we can start again on a different note.”

Bell-mere looked at the woman, pondering her words. If Lami wasn’t there to save her, Nami and Nojiko would have just experienced a very tragic experience. She didn’t exactly trust Lami, but she figured at she at least deserved a chance.

Bell-mere smiled. “I think I would like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I named Nami Lami after Lamias. To be honest, it just kind of clicked in my head when brainstorming, so I decided to go with it. So far, I have been going in order by when the crewmate was recruited into the Straw Hats, but I'm not sure if I want to keep it that way. This is where I will ask for your help once again. Who would you like to see me go over next? I don't think I would focus on Nami again next chapter, but anyone else is fair game. Would you like to see me go back to Luffy or Zoro? Or how Future Sanji will interact with Zeff? Maybe see what the two Robins are up to. I'm open for suggestions! Again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Blossom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I go back on my word

Chapter 05: Blossom

“I don’t know,” Rook rubbed his bony chin, pacing around the chip. “Rook doesn’t have that ring to it that I want.”

“So, you don’t want me to call you Rook?” Brook asked, strumming on one of the many instruments Rook had. “This bass doesn’t have that much of a ring to it.”

“In the deeper parts of the Grand Line, there’s this wonderful thing called ‘electricity’,” Rook explained. “You can plug the bass into something called an ‘amplifier’ and it’ll make the bass louder. How about Bones?”

“Yohohoho! That’s a wonderful idea!” Brook exclaimed. “That tickles my funny bone! Yohoho! Skull pun!”

“Let’s stick with that for now,” The newly named Bones said.

“Tell me more about this crew of yours,” Brook said, setting the bass down in favor of a saxophone. “How am I supposed to play this without lungs?”

“Magic,” Bones replied. “What do you want me to tell you?”

“Did you get to see any panties?” Brook asked.

“A couple times, but I never got to see the ones of my crewmates,” Bones said honestly.

“Tell me about them,” Brook said. “Were they sexy?”

“Well, there was Nami,” Brook said. “I’ll tell you about her another day. She always had a bad temper. Then there was Robin…”

* * *

Twenty-year-old Nico Robin had found herself in a pickle. She didn’t know that the island she landed on was ridden with bounty hunters. After a long chase, she found herself cornered. “Devil Child Nico Robin,” A bounty hunter cracked his knuckles, his fists turning into metal. “No matter how strong your devil fruit is, it could never stand up to my tetsu-tetsu no mi.”

“Dos Fluer,” Robin said, crossing her arms. Two arms sprouted on the bounty hunter’s shoulders, grabbing his head. “Clutch!”

“Harden!” The bounty hunter shouted, his head turning to iron. As his head and neck were made of metal, the hands had a harder time snapping the man’s neck. The man chuckled as he raised his hands, crushing the hands on his shoulders, causing them to fade. “What are you going to do now?”

“Dos fluer durcie,” A voice came from behind the bounty hunter and two more arms sprouted from the bounty hunter, but this time the arms were coated in a strange, dark metal. “Clutch!”

The bounty hunter’s eyes widened as the arms twisted his head. He grabbed the arms, desperately trying to pull them off him, but to no avail. With a sickening noise, the arms snapped his neck, causing the man to fall to the floor, dead. “If you don’t want to end up like him, I suggest you run,” the voice said, addressing the lackeys of the man the mysterious woman had just killed.

“F-fuck! Let’s get out of here!” One of the bounty hunters shouted. It wasn’t long before all of the bounty hunters fled the scene, revealing a hooded women being the only one not to flee.

“Who are you?” Robin didn’t uncross her arms, as she was still wary. Sure, this mysterious woman had just saved her life, but the possibility of this woman scaring them off to take Robin’s bounty for herself wasn’t out of the picture.

“Nico Robin,” The woman took off her head to reveal an eerily familiar face. The woman looked just like her, except the face was more developed. Her hair was curled and she hand sunglasses rested on her forehead. “I’m not your enemy. I’ve been looking for you.”

“You look just like me,” Robin uncrossed her arms, taking a step back. “Are you another survivor?”

“In a sense,” The woman chuckled to herself. “Call me Nico Iris.”

“What do you want with me?” Robin was happy that she wasn’t alone, but for all she knew, this person could be lying about her identity.

“The Revolutionaries are looking for you,” Iris replied. “They want to protect you from the World Government.”

Robin paused. That _did_ make sense. Since she could read the poneglyphs, she was a valuable asset to the Revolutionaries and a huge threat to the World Government. Iris turned to an apple tree not far from her and picked an odd-looking fruit out of it. Robin reasoned that it was the devil fruit of the man that Iris killed. “What do you need that for?” Robin asked. Iris seemingly already had a devil fruit, one very similar to hers, so why did she need to collect another one?

“A peace offering,” Iris said, looking at the direction opposite to Robin. Robin followed her eyes to see another cloaked figure approaching them.

“Robin!” Robin recoiled in shock when the figure removed her hood to reveal none other than her mother, Nico Olvia.

“Olvia?!” Robin exclaimed. “How did you survive?!”

“That’s not Olvia,” Iris said, narrowing her eyes. “I know of the Inu-Inu no mi. Reveal yourself.”

“Impressive,” ‘Olvia’ said as her features started to change, revealing a woman with dark green hair and brown eyes. “No one has ever found me out before.”

“You’re not Catarina Devon,” Iris said in an aggressive tone. Robin saw Iris cross her arms similarly to her when she was going to use her devil fruit. “Who are you?”

“Catarina Devon… can’t say I’ve heard the name. My name is Monkey D. Lily,” The woman replied, “and I’m a part of the Revolutionaries.”

* * *

 _Mokey D. Lily?!_ Iris lowered her arms. _Could it be…?_

“Nico Robin, I’ve come to take you with is to the Revolutionaries,” Lily said. “Nico Iris, yes? I overheard your conversation. You can come with us as well. We will verify your identity when we arrive.”

“I was intending on going there myself anyways,” Iris replied truthfully. She needed to get a gauge of this Lily person. Since she was never around back in her dimension, she was extremely curious about Lily. She could potentially be a useful asset. Iris always had a plan to tell someone about her situation. She considered telling Koala, since Iris learned that the girl could keep a secret throughout, they years, but Lily might be a better idea.

“Perfect,” Lily said, turning around. “Follow me.”

* * *

The trip was rather uneventful, even if it took a couple weeks. On an unknown island, Lily, Robin, and Iris docked their ship. Iris was all too familiar with this island, as she had spent a lot of time there when she was helping Dragon, Sabo, and Luffy plan their attack against the world government. She and Robin followed Lily silently through the many halls. Over the past couple weeks, Iris had deduced that Lily was a trustworthy person. She was extremely mature, unlike her son. Iris realized that they had a lot in common. Lily was quite a bookworm and was a very sly person. Unfortunately, her son didn’t carry any of her better traits. Lily opened a door to reveal the person Iris had been itching to talk to for a while, Monkey D. Dragon.

“I’m back, honey,” Lily smiled softly at Dragon, who gave her his signature smirk.

“Great job dear,” Dragon said in a deep voice, turning his head to Robin and Iris. “I see you’ve brought Nico Robin, but who is this?”

“My name is Nico Iris,” Iris introduced herself. “I’m another survivor of Ohara who managed to stay under the radar by escaping to Sky Island. I received word from my informant that you were looking for Nico Robin, so I decided to come down to see if I can help as well as seek asylum in the blue sea.”

“I see,” Dragon stared deep into Iris’s eyes. Dragon was always an excellent judge of character. Sometimes, Iris wondered if he could listen into the Voice. “That is sufficient. Lily, can you show them to their quarters?”

“Of course,” Lily turned to the two women. “Follow me.”

* * *

“Thank you, Monkey-san,” Robin said as Lily led her to her quarters.

“You’re welcome,” Lily smiled at Robin. She was happy that Robin and Iris were people that she could relate to, as her husband was a complete muscle head. “Please, call my Lily. I think we’ve been acquainted long enough for you to call me by my name.”

“Of course, Lily,” Robin offered a smile. Lily knew the smile wasn’t genuine, as Robin was still wary, but she let it slide. She wanted to show Robin that they trusted her and wanted the best for her.

“Now, your quarters are next door, Iris. Follow me,” Lily said, walking out with Iris, leaving Robin alone. While Dragon specialized in Conqueror’s Haki, Lily specialized in Observation. Despite that, she couldn’t get a gauge of Iris at all. She was a complete enigma. She was able to get pieces of her personality, but if Robin was an open book, Iris was a Poneglyph. She opened the door to Iris’s quarters. “This is where you will be staying for the time being.”

“Lily-san,” Iris said as Lily turned to leave, causing her to turn and look at the woman. “May I speak to you for a second?”

“Of course,” Lily said. Usually, when Iris wanted to talk, they usually entered a deep conversation about books and stories from around the world, which Lily greatly enjoyed. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Do you happen to have a son named Monkey. D Luffy?” Lily immediately recoiled when Iris said the name of her only son. Motherly instincts kicking in, her arms coated with Armament Haki. Why would this person who she has never met know about her nine-year-old son? She hasn’t even seen him since he was around two years old, when she and Dragon gave him to Garp. Giving away her son was one of the hardest decisions she has had to make and would have probably taken it back if she had the choice.

“How do you know about my son?” Lily growled, ready to pounce at any moment.

“I’ve known a man named Money D. Luffy for over twelve years now,” Iris smiled as she sat down on the bed. Lily turned her head in confusion. Luffy was only nine years old. How could Iris know Luffy for twelve years? “We’ve been talking about stories for a while now and I think it’s time you listened to mine. Let me tell you the tale of the man who became the Pirate King.”

* * *

Lily sat in awe as Iris told her story. Apparently, she was Nico Robin from another dimension. A dimension where _her_ son set sail, teamed up with her husband to take down the World Government, and eventually became the Pirate King. Even if she wasn’t around for it, she couldn’t help but feel proud for her son. “One thing you must _not_ do is tell Dragon,” Iris said.

“Why not?” Lily asked. If Iris had the knowledge, she claimed that she did, then she would be an invaluable resource in the upcoming war with the World Government. Plus, she wanted to brag to her husband that their son became the Pirate King.

“That information is something Luffy himself must tell Dragon,” Iris replied. “I don’t think it would be fair for him if either of us told him the truth.”

“Luffy came with you too?!” Lily asked, shocked. “Where is he?! We need to go see him immediately!”

“You will meet soon,” Iris promised. “He is currently on Dawn Island. I know Dragon is going there to intercept a World Noble in a few months’ time. It is imperative that we arrive there when we do.”

“I understand,” Lily nodded. She wouldn’t lie and say she completely believed Iris’s story, but she would soon confirm it with her own eyes when she went to Dawn Island herself. “Thank you for trusting me, Iris.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Iris smiled. “I’m just happy to get to know the mother of my captain.”

* * *

Hawks heaved a sigh. Ace still refused to acknowledge Luffy and he was at a loss in what to do. “Ah!” Luffy’s shout caught Hawks’s attention. The man turned to see Luffy accidentally light a plant of fire.

 _Things would have been easier if he just got my fruit like normal,_ Hawks thought to himself as he put out the small fire with his fingers.

“Thanks, Mister!” Luffy chirped, smiling brightly at his future self. “What’s for lunch?”

Hawks turned to see a boar grazing casually. “I guess we’re going to be having pork,” Hawks said as he grabbed a rock, throwing it at the boar. It landed on the boar’s back, causing it to turn to Hawks and charge. Hawks smirked as got into a fighting stance. He didn’t even have to use Haki to kill it with one punch. “Ah, it doesn’t hurt to get some exercise every now and then!”

“You!” Hawks turned to see Ace jump out of the bushes.

“Ace, are you sure this is a good idea?” Sabo inched out of the bushes.

“No, but I need to know how he did that so easily!” Ace shouted at Sabo before turning back to Hawks. “How did you do it?!”

Haws smirked. This was his opportunity. “Come have lunch with us and I’ll train you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! I apologize for taking so long to upload! I didn't know how to write Robin's chapter, but after toying around with a couple ideas, I managed to get it! Yes, I'm including Luffy's mom in this one. I thought it would be an interesting thing to play around with. I was thinking of what kind of devil fruit she would have and the first thing I thought about was the Inu-Inu no mi. Since Catarina doesn't have that significant of a part in the story at the time of this upload and it never stated when she got the fruit, I just decided to roll with it. I don't know who I will be doing next chapter, but we will be checking in to see what's up with Asura next chapter! I still don't have a name for Sanji or Chopper, which is why I've been refraining from introducing them at this point, but hopefully I'll get to them soon. Also, Bones is a temporary name for future Brook. I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with it right now. Name suggestions are always welcome, though! Thank you to BlackGryphon101 for suggesting Robin's name! If I do decide to use your name suggestion, I will be sure to give credit. Until then, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	6. Flames of Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Number 7"

Chapter 06: Flames of Passion

"Was there anyone you got along with more than the rest?" Brook asked, examining a viola. "What the hell is this?"

"It's a viola," Bones replied. "It's a really rare instrument. It's like a violin, but not as good. I really miss Sanji, though."

"Tell me about this Sanji person," Brook said, playing a note on the instrument before recoiling in disgust. "Is that a C?"

"Don't ask me why people decided to make an instrument like that," Bones said. "Anyways, Sanji and I were that of common mind..."

-

Kuina didn’t know whether to be excited or scared. Today was her first day under the tutelage of her new sensei, Asura. He was able to defeat her father without breaking a sweat. That wasn’t what scared her, though. _“Someone like you is unworthy of wielding such a blade,”_ Asura’s words rang in Kuina’s head as he killed the bandit that killed her childhood friend. What if Asura deemed her unworthy of Wado? It wasn’t like her father could do anything about it if he did. They both knew Asura was a superior swordsman. Kuina’s train of thought was cut by a knock on her door.

“Meet me outside in five,” Asura’s deep, gruff voice said though the door. “Bring your sword.”

Kuina sighed as she got out of bed, grabbing her prized sword, the Wado Ichimonji. There was only one way to find out.

* * *

Kuina walked out to find Asura staring off into space, his back facing Kuina. “I heard you want to become the best swordsman in the world,” Asura said, not caring to turn to look at Kuina.

“You bet I will!” Kuina shouted. She _had_ to become the best swordsman. For her. For Zoro.

“Unsheathe your sword,” Asura said, turning around to face the girl, his arms crossed. Kuina complied, unsheathing her sword.

“Now attack me,” Asura commanded. As he uncrossed his arms, he revealed a tiny pocketknife in his hand.

“Are you underestimating me?!” Kuina demanded. She knew Asura was a powerful swordsman but using a poorly forged knife was nothing but an insult. In response, Asura casually swung the knife to his side. To Kuina’s complete shock, the slash was able to create a giant slash in the ground that travelled a few feet until it cut a nearby tree cleanly in half.

“Anything can be a weapon,” Asura stated simply. “Never underestimate your opponent.”

Kuina shook her head, trying to shake off the shock she was feeling. She hardened herself. If she wanted to become stronger, she needed to learn the secrets of his techniques. She dashed at him, swinging her sword with all her might. With a flick of his wrist, Asura deflected her blade, causing her to stagger back. It took her about a second to recover as she didn’t expect the amount of force to come from the knife. She reassumed a battle stance, her eyes flashing with determination.

“You need to recover quicker,” Asura said simply. “If this were a real battle, you would have been dead by now.”

“Hai, sensei!” Kuina shouted before dashing at Asura again, this time dashing around him, aiming a slash for the back of his neck. Without taking a step or turning around, Asura easily deflected the attack. Kuina jumped back, remaining on guard.

“Not bad,” Asura said without moving. “Don’t stop attacking. Try to make me take a step.”

* * *

After a couple hours, Kuina was sitting on the floor, panting. Asura hadn’t moved an inch, his arms crossed. “You lasted longer than I expected,” Asura said.

“Thank you, sensei,” Kuina said. Though she couldn’t make him move, Kuina couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed that Asura only used a pocketknife.

“Have you met to best swordsman in the world?” Asura asked. Kuina shook her head.

“I have not, sensei,” Kuina said. She wondered what type of man the best swordsman in the world was.

“I have,” Asura said, piquing Kuina’s interest.

“What was he like?” Kuina asked. Asura took a step for the first time in a couple hours to walk over to stack of many swords that Asura had brought with him when he moved in. Asura grabbed the biggest one, a crossed-shaped sword that was easily taller than the man. He unsheathed it to reveal a beautiful black blade.

“This is a replica of his sword,” Asura said, gently placing down the sheathe before walking over to Kuina, placing the sword down in front of the girl. “Try to pick it up.”

Kuina silently stood up, marveling in the sword’s beauty. It was unlike anything she’s ever seen before. She crouched, grabbing the giant hilt with both hands and pulled. When the sword didn’t budge, she tried using all of her strength to pull it up. The sword didn’t even show signs of moving. Kuina eventually gave up and sat back down, panting as if she just spent another hour training with Asura.

“The world’s best swordsman could use this sword to cut a mountain in half with one hand,” Asura said, picking up the sword and sheathing it again. “He could take on entire armies singlehandedly. Do you think you can stand up to that?”

“No,” Kuina shook her head, answering honestly. “But one day, I will! Just you watch! It doesn’t matter if I’m a girl! I _will_ beat him and become the world’s best swordsman!”

Kuina expected Asura to frown at her and tell her that something like that would be impossible, but she was pleasantly surprised. “That’s the spirit,” Asura said, smirking. “Now get some water. Don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

* * *

“Hey old man!” Sanji called as he barged into a room. The man, Soren Prince was holding a paintbrush and painting some sort of clothing. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, some redesigning,” Prince sighed. “The sooner I wipe myself clean of this damn family, the better.”

Sanji stiffened at the mention of family as the abuse from Germa 66 was still fresh in his mind. “Y-you had a bad family too?”

“Yeah, they kicked the shit out of me when I was a kid,” Prince chuckled dryly, taking a drag from his cigarette before dabbing the paintbrush on the red paint. “They finally started to respect me after they used me as a pawn and I ended up saving their ass from a trap.”

Sanji didn’t say anything, letting the mood go awkward. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to Prince, but family was still a touchy subject for him. “And done!” Sanju exclaimed. He pressed a button on a cylinder and the clothing flew into the small container before Prince closed it such.

“We’re under attack!” A voice shouted from outside the room. “Pirates!”

Sanji’s eyes widened in shock and fear when he heard the last word. He looked towards Prince, who to Sanji’s surprise, just sighed, taking another drag of his cigarette. “I guess things won’t the same as last time.”

“Last time?” Sanji asked, his voice full of panic. Did Prince know something he didn’t? Prince just stood up and ruffled the kid’s hair.

“Let’s go,” Prince said, grabbing a few cylindric containers off his desk and putting it in a small sack before standing up. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

* * *

Prince cracked his knuckles in excitement. He never got the chance to fight Zeff anywhere close to his prime except for that one time Zeff whooped his ass when he was a kid. Considering things were happening about a year earlier than his dimension, Zeff should be in his prime. “Are you sure we’ll be okay, old man?” Sanji asked.

“Stop calling me old man,” Prince rubbed the back of his head as they arrived in the ballroom of the cruise ship to see everyone on their knees with their heads down while pirates guarded them, smirking and chuckling as they held rifles and cutlasses.

“Hey, it seems like we missed a couple,” a pirate said. He cockily walked over to Prince and Sanji. “Hey kid, why don’t you-,”

“Piss off, geezer!” Sanji yelled, kicking the man square in the face, sending him sprawling.

“Not bad,” Prince whistled. This version of Sanji might actually be stronger than he was when he was a kid. Prince rubbed his chin.

“You little…” The pirate brandished his weapon.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Prince smirked as he saw a familiar man walk up, a deep scowl on his face.

“Red-Leg Zeff,” Prince chuckled slightly. “Fancy seeing you here?”

“You’ve heard of me?” Zeff turned his gaze towards Prince, his expression unreadable.

“Yeah,” Prince smirked. “I think you would look a bit better of you had a seven-foot chef’s hat on.”

“That sounds terrible,” Zeff growled.

“I’ve actually been looking for you,” Prince admitted, taking a drag from his cigarette before tossing it on the floor and stomping on it.

“Why would someone on a cruise ship in the east blue be looking for a pirate like me?” Zeff narrowed his eyes. In response, Prince lifted his right knee and raised his hands up.

“A challenge.”

* * *

Since Zeff never reached the New World, he only knew the basics of Haki, but his specialization in Observation Haki* let him make a rough estimate of an opponent. The man before him was strong. How strong was something Zeff couldn’t determine, but the idea of someone challenging him to a one-on-one fight made his blood boil. “A challenge you say?” Zeff asked, his lips curving upwards in a smirk. “Interesting. What’s your name?”

“You may call me Soren Prince,” The man replied, returning the smirk.

“A nice name,” Zeff said. He took a step back, assuming a fighting position before leaping in the air, spinning and extending his leg towards his opponent. Then Prince did something Zeff didn’t expect. His left leg turned, adjusting Prince’s position as he extended his right leg upwards. Any normal leg would have snapped into an ungodly angle at the force of Zeff’s kick, but to the chef’s surprise, Prince managed to parry the attack without taking any damage. Prince added pressure to his kick, causing Zeff to spin the opposite direction. Zeff landed gracefully in a fighting stance, smirking.

“You’re not bad,” Prince said, cracking his knuckles.

“You don’t fight with your hands?” Zeff asked, curious on his fighting style. He knew why he fought with his legs, but he was curious on why someone else would.

“A hand is a chef’s pride,” Prince replied. Zeff’s expression brightened. This man… Prince… he was just like him. Zeff has met many people in his journey, but this man. His eyes burned just like his. They burned with the flames of passion that Zeff had carried throughout his life.

“Well said!” Zeff shouted, laughing joyously. The captain ignored his subordinates’ wary gazes, as Zeff was known to be an overly grumpy and aggressive person and rarely lets out a laugh like he just did. He coated his legs with Haki. He didn’t care if this Prince person didn’t know Haki. Zeff wanted nothing more was to go all out and feel the thrill of battle. “Show me! Show me the fire the burns in your heart!”

“Diable Jambe!” Prince shouted. Zeff recoiled in shock when a ring of fire surrounded the man as he raised his leg, the limb turning a deep shade of purple. The kid behind Prince stared at the man in awe as the fire started to constrict towards the man until it travelled up his leg, causing his leg to burst into a blazing inferno. “Satisfied?”

“Soren Prince, I have never met a man like you in all my life,” Zeff smiled. He accepted that Prince was far out of his league. If he was going to go down, he was going to go out in a blaze of glory. Literally. “It has been an honor to fight you.”

“Likewise, Red-Leg Zeff,” Prince replied. “Let’s finish this.”

As the two prepared for one final clash, the ship lurched, causing everyone to stumble. “What’s happening?!”

“A storm,” Prince replied, lighting another cigarette before taking a drag. The ship suddenly split apart below the kid.

“Old man!” The kid shouted as he fell into the sea.

“Sanji!” Prince shouted, instantaneously jumping into the after the boy. Zeff took a step.

 _What am I doing?_ He asked himself as he took another step. _Stop!_

He tried to stop himself, but he couldn’t. He respected this Soren Prince. He even looked up to him to an extent. The amount of passion one must have to have it manifest physically into a fire. Zeff took another step. For someone like Prince to throw away his life for a kid, he must be special. Zeff chastised himself for the decision he was about to make, but his gut roared for him to do it.

“Captain!” One of his pirates shouted as he jumped into the sea after Prince. Little did Zeff know, this would be one of the most important decisions he would ever make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to BlackGryphon101 for coming up with Sanji's name. I honestly appreciate you so much. Names have always been very hard for me and in all honestly, this fic wouldn't have even gotten as far as it did without your help. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!


	7. The King of Snipers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sogeking > God Usopp don't @ me

Chapter 07: The King of Snipers

“Ah, were coming up on Thriller Bark,” Bones said as he turned his skull into the distance to face a gigantic ship.

“What do you want to do after we get my shadow back?” Brook asked.

“I want to go to Water 7 and meet up with Franky to get a ship and then spend the next eight years travelling and gathering funds,” Bones said.

“How would two skeletons get a bunch of money?” Brook asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Soon you will learn the power of music,” Bones smiled nostalgically, remembering his brief stint as the Soul King. “For now, I want to get your shadow and Shusui. I’m sure Zoro will be really happy once we get this for his younger half.”

* * *

“Where are we headed next, captain?” Yasopp walked up to stand next to Skanks, who was staring off into the horizon from the deck of the ship.

“You know that Hawks guy told me something that might interest you,” Shanks said, smirking at his sniper.

“What did he say?” Yasopp asked. “To be honest, the guy was kind of weird.”

“’This may just be a hunch, but I heard that there was an upstart in the Gecko Islands. Some crazy good marksman who uses a slingshot. Calls himself the King of Snipers,’” Shanks quoted. “That’s what he said.”

“Huh,” Yasopp rubbed his chin before grabbing one of his pistols, twirling it in his fingers. “Well, I’ve never been one to turn down a challenge. Plus, it would be nice to see Banchina again. I’m excited to see how much my little squirt has grown up.”

“Oh, I think you’ll be surprised,” Shanks took out his aged Straw Hat and put it on his head.

“Didn’t you just give your hat to Luffy? Why did you get another one?” Yasopp looked at his captain with a confused expression.

“Hawks was so kind as to give me his hat,” Shanks smiled wistfully at the sea. “I have a feeling you’ll find out as to why in due time.”

“Cryptic as always, huh captain?” Yasopp sighed, slipping the pistol back in his holster before turning around. “Tell me when we get there, okay?”

* * *

Sogeking sat cross-legged on a hill, closing his eyes. Even though back in his dimension, he was one of the most prominent users of Observation Haki to ever live, he still liked to keep his abilities sharp. After all, he couldn’t get complacent now that he was a brave warrior of the sea. As he let his senses reach out, several powerful signatures caught on his radar. It didn’t take long for Sogeking to recognize who they were. _Red Hair!_ Sogeking thought excitedly. He then recognized Yasopp’s signature and instantly grimaced. Sogeking wanted to deck the man as soon as he docked, but he shouldn’t take out his anger for his Yasopp on this Yasopp.

“I still haven’t forgiven you for dying on me, you know?” Sogeking muttered to himself. After a few minutes of grappling with his emotions, Sogeking decided that he would deck Yasopp for leaving his son alone. Sogeking remembered how hard it was to keep the smile on his face at times, especially after his mother died.

“Hey Sogeking!” Sogeking turned his head to see a gleeful Usopp running up to him. Usopp admired his future self, which was practically inevitable. Sogeking _was_ the King of Snipers after all. “Guess what?!”

“What’s up, squirt?” Sogeking said with a smirk on his face as he stood up. When Usopp ran up to him, Sogeking shoved a hand on the boy’s head, ruffling his hair.

“My dad’s going to be coming today!” Usopp cheered. “He’s going to take us out to sea where we can become brave warriors!”

“I’m already a brave warrior of the sea, runt,” Sogeking said, stifling a chuckle. His expression softened when he looked at the kid’s smile. He recognized it all to well. Sogeking _hated_ that smile. That fake smile that he used to put on when he wasn’t okay. When he would tell a lie. Now, his smiles had become pure and genuine.

 _I promise that you can smile like me one day,_ Sogeking thought to himself as he looked at Usopp fondly. “You know what? That would sound great. I would love to explore the open sea once more.”

He turned his head as the powerful auras rapidly approached. “Hey kid, I need to prepare for when I meet your old man, alright? I’ll be out for a few hours.”

“Alright!” Usopp chirped, looking up at his idol with shining eyes. “I can’t wait to tell him all the stories that you’ve told me!”

“You are quite the storyteller,” Sogeking admitted honestly. “Don’t me sound bad, alright?”

* * *

Usopp spent the next couple hours running around, pranking the village folk. Occasionally, he went back to the hill where Sogeking often sat at. Whenever Usopp asked Sogeking what he would do there, Sogeking would tell him that he was practicing his ‘super awesome magic sniper powers’. Usopp believed the man. Sogeking had no reason to lie. Of course, a badass like that would have super awesome magic sniper powers. As he ran up the hill, his face paled when he looked out at sea. He saw one of the ~~many~~ few things that pierced his heart in fear: pirates.

“Pirates!” Usopp shouted out of instinct. He ran to the town to warn everyone. As he ran towards the town, a scary thought crept into his head and down his spine. Where was Sogeking? Pirates were attacking and no one knew where he was. A bead of sweat formed on Usopp’s forehead. Sure, Sogeking was a certified badass, but could he hold himself against _pirates_? Usopp turned around and ran. He needed to find his role model before he got himself killed.

* * *

“We’re here!” Shanks shouted, causing Yasopp to jump out of bed, his blood boiling. He was excited to meet this so called ‘King of Snipers’ along with his kid again. He wondered if the two got along. He was sure Banchina wouldn’t allow such a bad influence on Usopp hang around, though. It really depended on the man’s character. As he stepped out on the deck, he saw a single man waiting to confront the pirates on the shore. He had no shirt and brown shorts. His hair puffed out on the back of his head as he wore a hat to cover it. He carried a small pouch over his shoulder and had goggles around his neck.

“Yasopp and I will go down first,” Shanks said, hiding his Straw Hat. Yasopp gave his captain a confused look. Back when he had his old straw hat, he never hid it. Why would he take it off now? He shook his head. Even after all these years, Shanks was still completely unreadable at times. Shanks and Yasopp hopped off the ship to confront the man.

“Hello, my name is Shanks and this is Yasopp,” Shanks introduced the two with a wide grin on his face. Yasopp resisted the urge to facepalm. Shanks didn’t know the meaning of subtlety sometimes. He then turned to the man who was confronting them who didn’t move an inch, say for his scowl deepening. “We’re looking for a man who calls himself So-,”

Shanks was cut off when the man dashed towards Yasopp. Faster than Yasopp could react, he saw the man’s arm coated with Haki right before his fist collided with is face, sending him sprawling into the ocean. The Red Hair Pirates brandished their weapons, preparing to attack, but were stopped when Shanks gave them his signature glare, letting out a bit of Conqueror’s Haki as he did.

“Jeez, what the hell was that for?” Yasopp grumbled as he got up, wiping the blood from his nose.

“That,” the man said, letting the haki fade from his arm, “was for abandoning Usopp.”

“You know Usopp?!” Yasopp’s eyes widened in shock before a wide grin spread across his face. “Tell me, how is he?”

“How is he…?” The man echoed. Yasopp’s smile faded as he realized that his words only made the man angrier. The man stomped up to Yasopp and lifted him up by his shirt. Yasopp gazed into the man’s eyes. His eyes burned with anger, but not hatred. His eyes reminded Yasopp of Banchina’s eyes when he decided to leave. “How is he?! He’s been lying to himself every day, saying that _you_ would pick him up and whisk him away from this island! He told his mother the same lie every single day! Even now he’s telling himself that because his mother is dead!”

“Bancina’s dead…?” Yasopp’s expression changed multiple times as the man shouted at him, but his face finally settled to an expression of pure shock.

“She died from an illness two years ago,” The man replied, letting Yasopp down. The man’s expression softened as he saw Yasopp’s face contort with pain and grief. “You’re all he has left.”

“What’s your name?” Yasopp managed. In his whirlwind of thoughts, he couldn’t come up with any other question.

“My name…” the man paused for a second. “My name is Aesop, but you can call me Sogeking.”

“Sogeking,” A sad smile crept up Yasopp’s face as he held out his hand. He knew he screwed up and he wanted to make things work out better from here. “Thank you for taking care of my kid.”

* * *

“Sogeking!” Usopp ran through the woods, shouting at the top of his lungs. He had been looking for about fifteen minutes now and he was deathly afraid that something happened to him. He burst out of the forest to see a large pirate ship. He looked down to the shore to see a man with red hair, Sogeking, and… was that who he thought he was? Usopp’s face immediately brightened.

“Dad!” Usopp ran down the shore, stumbling over his feet before tackling his dad into a hug.

“Usopp, is that you?!” Yasopp exclaimed in shock before laughing joyously. Usopp was too excited to notice the tears fall from Yasopp’s face. “You’ve grown so big!”

“Yeah! I’m gonna grow up to be a brave warrior of the sea just like you!” Usopp cheered.

“So, you’re Yasopp’s kid, huh?” Usopp turned to the red-haired man who looked down at him with a huge smirk on his face. “I’m Yasopp’s captain. Name’s Shanks.”

“Let’s go to the Meshi place,” Yasopp said. “I want to know all about you, Sogeking.”

* * *

“And then I met a man named Heracles!” Sogeking exclaimed. “We fought and survived in a land filled with giant bugs for two whole years!”

“Woah!” Usopp heard the story of Greenstone and the gigantic bugs dozens of times but enjoyed it every single time.

“Sogeking!” Yasopp shouted. “I challenge you to a duel!”

“Wha-,” Usopp started.

“I accept!” Sogeking shouted as he took out a slingshot colored deep purple.

“You’re going to take me on with a slingshot?” Yasopp laughed.

“Of course!” Sogeking gave Yasopp a cocky smile. “Don’t think you can beat me with my partner by my side!”

“Alright, let’s do this,” Shanks said. The two snipers faced their back to each other and took ten paces each. “We will start this with a flash of Haki!”

* * *

As Sogeking felt the flash of Haki come from Shanks, time slowed. As he turned, a bullet was already sent his way. He didn’t even need to peer into the future. He knew his dad’s style too well. He tilted his head, narrowly dodging the bullet aimed for his head. He pulled back his slingshot as his eyes tracked another bullet heading his way. When he fired, two pellets flew out. One of the pellets hit the bullet, causing both of them to veer to the side. Yasopp’s eyes widened as he added Haki to his head just in time for the second pellet right between the eyes, causing him to lurch back.

“Ha! I win!” Sogeking cheered.

“Not bad,” Yasopp smirked as he got up.

“Congratulations… Sogeking,” Sogeking’s eyes widened as he saw the aged straw hat on Shanks’s head.

* * *

“You met the captain?!” Sogeking shouted.

“What, that Hawks dude is your captain?” Yasopp asked. “How could a weirdo like him captain someone so skilled?”

“You should probably tell him,” Sogeking stiffened at Shanks’s words. “I’ll take care of the squirt.”

“It makes sense that he told you,” Sogeking sighed, wrapping an arm around Yasopp’s shoulder. “Come with me. Let me tell you a _real_ story.”

* * *

As the two men walked away, Shanks turned towards Usopp, kneeling down one knee so he could match the kid’s height. “I heard you want to come with your pops and I.”

“Yep!” Usopp cheered. “I want to become a great warrior of the sea!”

“You’re not old enough to come with us yet,” Shanks said bluntly, causing Usopp to look downwards. Shanks smiled softly at the boy. “In a few years, a captain of your own will show up. Soon, you and Sogeking will go on your own adventure and become the bravest warriors of the sea.”

“You really think so?!” Usopp looked up at Shanks.

“Of course!” Shanks laughed joyously. “Your pops and I will be waiting on the other side and that’s a promise!”

* * *

Yasopp stared at the ground, processing that Sogeking… no… Usopp just told him. He instantly understood Sogeking’s reaction when he first laid eyes on the man. He then looked up at Sogeking. A million things swirled through his head, but Yasopp knew what to say. He knew what he felt. “Son, I’m proud of you.”

Sogeking smiled. “I know.”

* * *

“Are you really going so soon?” Usopp looked devastated at the notion that Shanks and Yasopp were leaving so soon.

“We have to keep peach in the grand line,” Shanks said. “We’ll see each other again once you’re stronger. Sogeking here will train you to become everything you need to be.”

“That’s right, runt,” Sogeking ruffled the boy’s hair. “You should stop by Thriller Bark next. I’m not sure if they’ll still be there by the time you get there, but I’m sure Brook would need a lift once he gets his shadow back.”

“What are you talking about?” Usopp asked.

“My skeleton buddy might need a little help,” Sogeking replied with a smile.

“Oh, I love Skeleton Buddy!” Usopp exclaimed. “Yohohoho!”

Sogeking smiled at Usopp’s attempt to imitate Brook’s laughter. “I’ll be sure to stop by on my way back to the New World,” Shanks said. “We’ll meet again.”

Sogeking smiled as the two boarded the ship again. “That we will.”

As the ship sailed off, Usopp turned to Sogeking. “What are we going to do now?”

“Train, of course,” Sogeking replied, a smirk on his face. “My captain will be arriving in eight years and I want to be able to show you off.”

“Alright!” Usopp jumped in the air, shooting his fist off. “I’m going to be the bravest warrior the sea has ever seen!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for BlackGryphon101 for coming up with the name Aesop! Next chapter will be centered around Brook and Bones! I hope you're all excited!


	8. Chilled to the Bone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brook gives Ryuma the cold shoulder

Chapter 08: Chilled to the Bone

“Ow!” Luffy exclaimed as Ace hit him over the head with a stick.

“See, I told you training would be fun,” Hawks said as he hit Sabo with his own stick.

“Ow!” Sabo exclaimed as he grabbed his head, tearing off his blindfold. “What even is the point of this?”

“I don’t know,” Ace twirled the stick in his hand. “I kinda like this.”

“Here, give me the blindfold,” Hawks said. Sabo offered him the blindfold as Luffy took his off. Hawks tied the blindfold over his eyes and sat down. “All three of you try to hit me.”

“Finally!” Hawks heard Sabo exclaim as he sensed him grab a stick. “Here’s revenge for hitting me over and over!”

As the three started swinging wildly at Hawks, the man just calmly moved his head, weaving thorough the sticks that were aiming for his head. “What the hell, old man?!” Ace shouted. “What the hell are you doing?”

Hawks jumped up from his sitting position, landing behind the three kids and hitting them each on the head respectively. “That was Observation Haki,” Hawks said, taking off the blindfold, “and this is what I want to teach you.”

* * *

“Gigantesto Mano!” Robin shouted as she crossed her arms. Several hand sprouted from the ground, weaving together until they formed two arms that were slightly taller than Robin. Robin strained to keep the arms active, but eventually uncrossed her arms, flopping on her back as the arms retreated back into the ground.

“This is a lot harder than I expected,” Robin panted as Iris walked up to her and smiled down at her.

“You’re doing very well,” Iris said, offering Robin a hand. “I’m surprised you’ve gotten this far in only a couple of weeks.”

“Thank you, Iris,” Robin smiled back at the woman as she took her hand, hoisting herself up. Though Robin was wary of Iris at first, she realized they had a lot in common. Robin genuinely believed that Iris was a survivor of Ohara. Iris claimed to be exploring the Grand Line when Ohara was destroyed and Robin wholeheartedly believed her. She read Iris’s journals about her journeys to Sky Island and Thriller Bark and they captivated her more than any novel could. Iris also claimed to have read the poneglyphs, but Robin wasn’t too sure about the validity of that. Whenever Robin asked about them, Iris would just smile and tell her she wouldn’t want to ruin the fun.

“Iris!” Lily barged into the room, an excited smile on her face. “I have great news!”

“What is it?” Iris asked, a patient smile on her face.

“Dragon said we’re going to be going to Dawn Island in two months’ time!” Lily exclaimed. “I’m so excited to see him!”

“What’s at Dawn Island?” Robin asked. “From what I remember, it’s in the East Blue, right?”

“My son is currently living in Dawn Island,” Lily explained. “I really want to see him again.”

“You have a son?” Robin’s eyes shined with interest. “I wonder what he’s like. Is it possible for me to go as well?”

“Of course!” Lily’s smile only widened. “The more people I can introduce my son to, the better.”

Robin turned to Iris, who had a knowing smile on her face. Robin narrowed her eyes slightly. Robin remembered that smile. It was the exact same smile Iris gave Robin when they first met.

* * *

“I can’t fucking believe we got stranded in the middle of nowhere!” Zeff shouted.

“Pipe down old man,” Prince said, lighting a cigarette.

“How were you even able to get dry cigarettes?” Zeff asked.

“Magic,” Prince took a drag of his cigarette, giving Zeff jazz hands.

“What are we going to do?” Sanji asked, his eyes wild with panic and fear.

“There’s not much we can do,” Prince said with a serious expression on his face. “Welcome to the real world, Sanji.”

Sanji stiffened, as Prince almost never used his name. “I want to train you,” Prince said, causing a shiver to go down his spine. Sanji imagined the hellish training that Prince had to go through to literally let his leg catch fire at will and wondered if Prince would make Sanji do the same training. The fear quickly drained from his face. He remembered the abuse he went through at the hands of the Vinsmoke. He never wanted to be bullied again. More importantly, if he wanted to find the All Blue, he needed to be strong.

“Alright,” Sanji said, his previous panic being completely replaced by determination. “What do I do?”

* * *

“Lami?” Lami heard Bell-mere’s voice come from outside her house. Lami walked up to the door and opened it, a welcome smile on her face. “May I come in?”

“What’s up, Bell-mere?” Lami asked in a casual tone as she moved aside to let her adoptive mother in. Lami was still getting used to Bell-mere still being alive and Arlong being arrested. Since Bell-mere was the one to turn him in, she was still under the World Government’s radar.

“I wanted to ask you a favor,” Bell-mere said as she sat down on one of Lami’s couches.

“Of course,” Lami said as she sat down on a chair. “What is it that you need?”

“Can you teach Nami and Nojiko how to fight?” Bell-mere’s question took Nami aback. She was going to train them regardless, but she didn’t expect Bell-mere to ask Lami herself.

“What?” Lami sat and stared at Bell-mere, completely dumbfounded.

“Nami is very free-spirited,” Bell-mere started. “I imagine she wouldn’t want to stay here when she grows up. The world is a cruel place. I know firsthand. I want her to be able to fend for herself out there. Also, there isn’t anything saying that another Arlong might come along. We can’t always be there to protect them, so I want them to learn how to fight on their own.”

After a couple seconds of silence, a huge grin broke out on Lami’s face. “Of course I will!”

* * *

“So, where is this Ryuma guy?” Brook asked as he sliced through another zombie.

“He should be around here somewhere,” Bones replied as he swung his black sword, slicing a zombie in half with ease. After Wano, he was gifted a Skillful Grade sword named Kotta Jigoku (Frozen Hell). After infusing the blade with his haki and his soul with the help of his devil fruit constantly for ten years, Kotta became a kokuto, raising its rank to a Great Grade Sword.

“You,” An eerie voice caused Brook to Jump, but Bones just turned to the zombie. “I can sense your Warrior’s Soul.”

 _Wait, this isn’t like the Ryuma I remember,_ Bones thought. If his face could pale, then he would have gone as white as a sheet. He realized that there was a chance that the Kage Kage no mi let the bodies have their original souls in this dimension. According to the tales, Bones deduced that the only person he knew that could stand up to the Ryuma of Legends was Zoro in his absolute peak. He didn’t understand _how_ it worked, but even though he had traversed the Grand Line longer than any being alive in his previous dimension, he couldn’t really grasp many concepts that existed in the Grand Line.

“I am honored by your words,” Bones said respectfully. Brook did a double take when Bones addressed the zombie in a formal manner.

“I would love to duel you at the peak of my strength, but this body is long past its prime,” Ryuma said. “I can only access about a quarter of my power. I hope this is satisfactory for you.”

“It is an honor to even duel the King himself,” Bones said, readying his blade.

“The King, huh?” Ryuma unsheathed Shusui, grasping the blade with both of his hands. “I never got to fight him. It’s a shame. He would have been a grand opponent.”

“Brook, cover me,” Bones said, his tone deathly serious (AN: See what I did there?). “Do not interfere with this match.”

“Alright,” Brook nodded. He didn’t understand why Bones was treating a zombie with such respect but Brook knew he had his reasons. He turned to face another Zombie.

Bones and Ryuma charged at each other. As the two clashed, the ground started to freeze around him. In the final battle with Blackbeard, each main crew member had to take on one of the Ten Titanic Captains after Doc Q and Catarina Devon were taken out by Marco and Sabo. Kuzan rose up to replace one the fallen captains to fight Bones. Although Bones almost died, his Soul Solid technique improved greatly. Since Luffy became the Pirate King, Bones had spent more time refining his ice.

“I see you are able to manifest your soul into combat,” Ryuma said as the two jumped back. As Ryuma prepared to strike again, blue flames erupted from around him.

Bones tensed as the air around him grew colder. An ice sculpture started to form next to him as the air started to freeze until it was a complete replica of Brook. “Soul Split!” Bones shouted. As he exhaled, a piece of his soul escaped his body and entering the sculpture. The sculpture then started to move as it entered its own fighting stance.

“Prepare to get double the cold shoulder! Yohohoho!” Both Bones(es?) exclaimed as they dashed towards Ryuma. Bones could tell that Ryuma wasn’t well acquainted with fencing as the two executed a highly synergized flurry of stabs and strikes, but Ryuma was adjusting to it well, the ice in the ground melting around him.

“Impressive,” Ryuma says as he stabs the ice sculpture, melting it. Bones took a step back, his expression serious as the piece of his soul re-entered his body. “I say we end this though.”

“I agree,” Bones replied as a cloud of mist escaped his jaw. “Absolute Zero.”

Kotta started to radiate a green energy as the air froze around Brook. Bones noticed the aged arms of Ryuma turn a shade of black as he coated himself with Armament Haki. Brook responded in kind, his bones becoming black and his sword started to tint blue. “Good, good!” Ryuma said as he dashed towards Bones. The two passed through each other, slicing at each other with their swords. The slashes carried out for several meters, cutting several buildings behind them. They stayed frozen for a few tense moments before Bones’ head fell of and Ryuma fell to his knees, clutching a slash would over his chest.

“What a fine duel,” Ryuma managed as Bones picked up his head, reattaching it to his body. “What is your name, warrior?”

“Brook,” Bones knelt down before Ryuma. “My name is Brook.”

“Well Brook,” Ryuma coughed. “I have one last request.”

“What is it?” Bones asked. Ryuma sheathed his sword and held it up to Bones, his arm shaking.

“I know you wouldn’t use this sword,” Ryuma said. “I’ve learnt that much from our duel. My final request is for you to find a worthy master to my blade. Have him continue my legacy.”

“It would be my honor,” Bones sheathed his sword and carefully plucked Shusui with both of his hands. “Thank you, Shimotsuki Ryuma.”

“It was my pleasure, Brook,” Ryuma managed as the shadow left his body, rejoining with Brook once more. Bones looked on as Ryuma’s body fell, once more becoming a lifeless corpse.

“I really became that strong?” Brook walked over to look at the corpse of Ryuma before looking at Bones, who was standing next to him.

“It wasn’t an easy journey,” Bones replied before turning around. “Let’s go back to the ship. I’ll teach you what I know.”

Brook looked at Bones as he walked off. Brook resisted the urge to make a skeleton pun. Though he always appreciated a good joke, he knew when or not it was an acceptable time to tell one.

* * *

“What the fuck do you want?!” Dr. Hiriluk shouted. Usually, he wasn’t like this, but he was suffering from a terrible hangover from self-testing one of his “medicines” (read: mixing multiple types of alcohol together and hoping for the best). As the knocking persisted, Hiriluk sighed. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

He lumbered over to the door, leaning on the wall for support. He reached for the doorknob but stopped himself when he felt a growing pain in his throat. He coughed into his sleeve, scowling as he saw a few drops of blood sink itself into the fabric of his jacket. He then just sighed and opened the door. To his surprise, he saw no one there. He looked to his left and right. “Alright, which one of you bastards though up of this? It isn’t funny!”

“Actually doctor,” Hiriluk heard a small voice coming from… below him…? He looked down to see some kind of tanuki thing looking up at him with a serious expression. “I’m right here.”

“Damn, the alcohol must have hit me hard, huh?” Hiriluk rubbed his head. “Listen, raccoon-dog or whatever the hell you are. I’m going to close my eyes and when I open them, you’ll be gone.”

“I’m real! And I’m a reindeer!” The dog thing cried out.

“Whatever you say, raccoon-dog,” Hiriluk sighed. “What do you want?”

“Ah, my name is Tony!” The tanuki introduced himself. “I believe I have a cure for your disease.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! We're going to be diving into a short timeskip next chapter, so I hope you're excited! At this point and time, past Chopper has yet to find the Hito Hito no mi, so I think that it would be okay for future Chopper to be named Tony and past Chopper to just be named Chopper. I'm going to be doing the same thing with Franky, too. Future Franky will be called Franky while past Franky will just be called Flam.


	9. Two Months Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hawks can't catch a break

Chapter 09: Two Months Later

“Morning, Hawks!” Makino said as Hawks opened the door. “You didn’t bring the kids with you today?”

 _Sometimes I swear she has Observation Haki,_ Hawks thought to himself before he sat down.

“I’ll have some ale and meat please,” Hawks replied with a strained smile. Hawks almost never used manners, but he respected Makino to a degree where he would put an effort. “I didn’t want to bring the kids with me when I drank.”

“I thought you didn’t drink,” Makino tilted her head slightly. It was true that Hawks didn’t drink a single drop of ale since he arrived at Dawn Island, so it was reasonable to assume such a thing.

“I guess you could say I didn’t sleep the best last night,” Hawks said. He had been counting down the days since Sabo was supposed to grab a ship and try to sail off, only to get shot down by a World Noble. Hawks sighed as he remembered Sabo crushing the World Noble with his claws. He didn’t want for it to happen, but after agonizing over it for the past two months, he decided that it was best for him to go along with Dragon. His relationship with the man had improved greatly since their war against the World Government. They never really got to become father and son, but they became great friends. Hawks and Dragon would often spar on Raftel throughout the four years after he became Pirate King, as it was the only place that could take the two titans clashing at full force. Hawks trusted Dragon to raise Sabo properly and reunite with him when he was older.

“I can understand that,” Makino sighed as she poured Hawks a keg. “I’ll be back with your meat.”

“Thanks, Makino,” Hawks said as Makino went off to the back of the restaurant. Hawks downed his ale as he heard the doors open.

 _Wha-,_ Hawks was taken aback by the aura coming from the person. He was surprised he didn’t sense it until they entered the pub. Hawks turned around to see a woman that looked a bit like Makino, albeit a bit older and more mature. The lady sat down next to Hawks as the man returned to his ale.

“Hello,” The lady offered Hawks a sincere smile. “My name is Lily. What about you?”

“Hawks,” Hawks replied, giving Lily an indifferent smile. She wasn’t being rude so there was no reason for him to be.

“What an interesting name,” Lily commented. “It’s nice to meet you, Hawks.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Hawks said. He considered questioning Lily on why someone so powerful would hang around in the East Blue, but since Shanks, Dragon, Garp, and even _he_ spent time on this island, something like that wasn’t exactly much of an oddity anymore.

“Here’s your meat Haw-,” Makino cut herself off when she saw Lily. “Lily! What a pleasant surprise!”

“It’s been a while, Makino,” Lily offered her a small smile as Makino placed the plate of meat in front of Hawks.

“What brings you here this time?” Makino asked.

“I’m only here on some business, unfortunately,” Lily sighed. “I should really go, though. It would be troublesome if my husband knew I was gone.”

“I guess that would be,” Makino sighed as Lily stood up. “I guess I’ll see you?”

“Hopefully we will meet again,” Lily nodded to Makino before giving Hawks one last glance as she left.

“Who was that?” Hawks asked as the door closed behind them.

“An old friend,” Makino said cryptically. Before Makino could elaborate, the doors burst open again revealing Luffy and Sabo.

“Old man/Hawks!” They shouted at the same time. Hawks turned around to see the two, confused Sabo was still here instead of being in the Grey Terminal. Just before the two kids opened their mouths, it hit him. Hawk’s expression became grim.

“Ace is gone!”

* * *

“Damn it!” Kuina shouted as she attacked Asura again. Asura sidestepped the attack and hit the back of her neck with the hilt of his sword. “Stupid puberty! If things keep going on like this, I’ll never become the greatest swordsman!”

“Kuina,” The agitated tone of Kuina’s mentor caused her to stiffen.

“Yes, senesi?” Kuina turned around, her face contorting slightly in panic.

“Sit down with me,” Asura said as he sat down on the grass. Kuina nodded and sat down as well. “You seem to be distracted.”

“It’s nothing!” Kuina instantly said. Despite constantly cursing her body, Asura never commented on her complaints as if she had never said them. Was he really that dense? “Nothing at all!”

“I know something has been off with you the past couple of weeks,” Asura sighed, rubbing his head. “We need to resolve this issue, but I won’t touch on it if you’re not willing to say your grievances aloud.”

“Fine,” Kuina grumbled. Before this, she never had any type of attitude towards Asura, but her inner dilemma finally caused her to cave in. “It’s because I’m a woman. It’s not fair! I won’t be able to get stronger because of this stupid body! How am I going to become the greatest swordsman if I’m-,”

“My rival was a woman,” Asura cut Kuina off, causing her to gape at him. After her father healed from his injuries, he was disgruntled at the fact that Asura was still holding back in his final attack. Koushiro said that Asura’s swordsmanship even surpassed that of Kozaburo, the man that forged the Wado Ichimonji. How could the rival of such a man be a woman? “Do you know what happened?”

Kuina shook her head. Her mind told her that Asura just left her in the dust from day one, but her heart told her Asura was trying to teach her something else. “We dueled exactly 2001 times,” Asura said. “I didn’t win a single match.”

Kuina gasped at Asura’s words. For some reason, it reminded her of the relationship she had with Zoro. They had dueled 1998 times and Zoro had never won a single match before he died. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a woman,” Asura stated. “Your skill will shine through if you work hard enough.”

Suddenly, Kuina felt a strange sensation. She couldn’t determine what it was, but she knew she could feel it, and it was telling her to duck. Kuina leaned back just in time for Asura to swing his sword horizontally. Kuina’s eyes followed the air slash that the slash produced until it sliced a tree in two. “It took me four months under my sensei to get to the level you’re at now,” Asura said, standing up. “Think about what I said. We’ll resume training in a couple hours.”

Asura turned and walked away, leaving Kuina to blankly stare at the tree as it toppled over and fell.

* * *

Sanji was at his limit. It had been two whole months without food and Zeff was hoarding all of it. Whenever he would talk to Prince about it, he would just take a drag from his cigarette and dismissed him. Now, he was going to take matters into his own hands. As he snuck behind a rock, he locked onto Zeff’s bag. He leaped and cut the bag open with a shout. His eyes grew with excitement as the bag tore open, but the excitement quickly turned into despair when treasure fell out of the bag.

“There was never any food to begin with, kid,” Zeff said, not even caring to turn around. “If I told you that, I knew you wouldn’t have accepted the food I gave you.”

“W-what…?” Sanji gaped at the thin old man. Why was a pirate being so companionate towards him? Weren’t all pirates supposed to be selfish and evil?

“You know what?” Zeff declared. “I’m going to survive this. I’m going to make a restaurant to feed anyone out at sea who is starving!”

Sanji looked at Zeff as he grabbed a rock with awe. His eyes steeled. “Yeah!” He shouted. He then noticed Zeff aim the rock towards his leg. Sanji’s steeled look instantly faded as Zeff slammed the rock down to his leg, intending to take it off. “OLD MAN!”

“I believe that’s enough of that,” Prince cut in, grabbing Zeff’s arms. Prince was just as thin as all of them, but he never once complained or begged for food. He was adamant on Zeff and Sanji eating their share saying that he’s survived worse. “I have food.”

“You have food?!” Sanji shouted. “So, _you_ were the one hoarding the food! I can’t believe you!”

“Listen kid,” Prince’s glare made Sanji stiffen. Prince raised his tattered shirt to reveal his ribcage. His state was just as bad, if not worse than Sanji and Zeff’s. He walked over and knelt down to Sanji’s level, his gaze boring into him. “I would starve a thousand times over if it meant you learned the value of food. As a chef, you must treat each ingredient as if it could save your life. I starved myself along with you and Zeff so you can learn that each ingredient _can_ save your life.”

Sanji gulped as he stood up to face Zeff. He grabbed one of the weird cylinders from his pocket and opened the cap, revealing a pile of food resting atop a blanket. “Congratulations on passing your training,” Prince said, a weak smile on his face. “Dig in.”

* * *

Asura walked down the streets, grumbling to himself. He didn’t like bringing up his past rivalry with Kuina, but it had to be done. He looked for a bar to drink down his memories when he felt something bump into his knee. He looked down to see a familiar looking girl with glasses holding a small book.

“I’m sorry mis-,” The small Tagashi stopped herself when she saw the man’s swords. Asura was usually decked out in blades to show off his collection. When he was in the village collecting bounties, he would make sure each sword had their own fair share of combat. When he wasn’t in a serious battle, he would make sure all of his swords got a good amount of bloodshed, as swords were forged as weapons as much as they were forged as works of art. “Woah! I’ve seen that blade before!”

She flipped through the pages before looking back and forth between it and Asura’s swords. “That’s Enma, right?!” She asked with a starry expression in her eyes. “That’s a Skillful Grade blade!”

“Good eye, kid,” Asura smirked. Ever since the war against the World Government, Tagashi had become much more of a friendly rival to Asura than an enemy. When the marines were rebuilt, Tagashi became the equivalent of a Real Admiral and was in line to become an Admiral when Asura left his dimension.

“Can I see it? Please?” Tagashi begged. Asura considered something. He knew Tagashi would become a great swordsman in the future, but what if he could give her a head start? Of course, he wouldn’t teach her, as he already had a student that was taking up all of his time, but he had an idea. He grabbed one of the many swords he had on him and handed it to Tagashi.

“Here you go,” Asura said with a kind smile on his face. Well, he tried to put on a kind smile, but it came off more as a cocky smirk than anything. “You can keep this. Its name is Kashu.”

“Really?!” Tagashi gingerly took the sword from his hands before flipping through her book again. “This is another Skillful Grade Blade! This is priceless! I-I don’t have any money… so…”

Tagashi held the sword out to Asura, but he shook his head. Some things never change. “I don’t need money,” Asura said, putting a hand on Tagashi’s head and ruffling her hair, much to her protest. “As payment for Kashu, promise me you’ll become a great swordsman.”

“I’ll become a great swordsman! No! I’ll become the best swordsman in the world!” Tagashi declared, holding the sword up. “Just you watch me!”

“The greatest swordsman in the world, huh?” Asura rubbed his chin. “That’s a big dream you’ve got there.”

“I’ll fulfill it!” Tagashi said, the determination refusing to leave her voice. “I’ll beat anyone that stands in my way!”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Asura said as he turned to walk off.

“Wait!” Tagashi called, causing Asura to stop. “What’s your name?!”

“My name?” Asura turned his head so Tagashi could only see Asura’s scarred eye and a smirk growing on his face. “Call me Asura.”

* * *

Luffy and Sabo arrived at the Grey Terminal just in time to see it on fire. They had lost track of Hawks on the way there, but they hardly noticed. They arrived just in time to see Ace’s ship get shot by a galleon. “ACE!” Luffy shouted, tears starting to form in his eyes as he watched his sworn brother desperately trying to fan out the flames.

“Luffy!” Sabo called, but it was too late. Bluejam walked up behind Luffy and grabbed him, putting a blade to his throat.

“Where is the treasure?!” Bluejam demanded. “Tell me or I’ll kill him!”

“No!” Sabo shouted, trying to free Luffy, but Bluejam just kicked Sabo away. Since Luffy wasn’t really able to move, he was forced to watch a second cannonball hit Ace’s ship.

“ACE!” Luffy shouted. Suddenly, a crushing force started to spread out from around Luffy, causing Bluejam’s crew to pass out.

“Luffy!” Sabo shouted as Bluejam fell back, unconscious. Sabo grabbed Luffy.

“Ace…” Luffy managed, his tears flowing down his cheeks before his eyes rolled into his head and he passed out.

“Where are you, ya stinking brats?!” Sabo distantly heard Dadan’s voice in the background.

“Dadan!” Sabo cried, utterly helpless. He lost one brother and almost lost another brother in one day. He would cry, but he was too deep in shock at the events that just unfolded.

* * *

Dragon immediately tensed as a man landed on his ship. Instantly, the Revolutionaries surrounded the man. Everyone was tense, but no one drew any weapons. Dragon couldn’t help but notice the man seemed familiar, but he couldn’t exactly grasp what was familiar about him or where he met him. What shocked Dragon was the kid the man was carrying in his arms. A heavily injured Gol D. Ace was cradled in his arms. The man walked up to Dragon and held the child out to him. Something compelled Dragon to take the boy.

“Raise him well,” the man said, giving him a nod. Dragon didn’t know the man, but he could tell he was strong. Even though he was suppressing his aura, it was still one of the stronger presences on the ship. One of his Revolutionaries then walked up to the man and took off her hood, revealing Nico Iris, a rather new recruit. Despite that, she was already an invaluable asset, nearly doubling the size of the library and becoming one of Dragon’s main sources of intel in such a short amount of time.

“I hear you go by Hawks now, captain,” Iris said, smiling at the man. Dragon paused. This man was her captain? He’s heard mentions if Iris’s captain, but only that he was really strong and had a devil fruit.

“That I do,” The man, Hawks replied. “What about you?”

“Iris,” The woman responded.

“It suits you,” Hawks said as he reached into his pocket. Dragon tensed, thinking that the man could bring out a weapon, but was surprised when he took out a Devil Fruit and placed it in Iris’s hand. “Give it to him when he’s ready.”

“Of course,” Iris said before putting her hood back on and blending back in with the crowd.

“Wait!” As Hawks turned to leave, Dragon was surprised when his wife stopped the man. She walked up to him, her hood still on and out a hand on his shoulder. “I just want you to know I’m proud of you.”

“Proud?” Hawks tilted his head in a confused expression, which even Dragon found kind of goofy. “Who are you?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, but just know that I’m a friend,” Lily said before blending back in with the crowd.

“Alright then, if you would excuse me,” Hawks shot Dragon a glare. “I have two kids to take care of.”

With that, Hawks vanished without a sound or a trace, leaving a confused Dragon with a mortally wounded kid in his arms. _Damn, what am I going to do with this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know I threw a couple curveballs at you. To be honest, I don't know how this chapter will be received, but I would love to hear your thoughts. Pretty soon, I'm going to have a larger timeskip and get to the beginning of the canon story. I'll be covering what happened throughout the eight years in flashbacks and such and I might make a spinoff of this fic just describing the eight year timeskip. Please let me know if that is something you would like to see. Thank you for reading and thank you for following this story.


	10. Bigwigs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought the plot twists were over, huh?

Chapter 10: Bigwigs

Spandam and the rest of CP5 snuck through Water 7 in the dead of night. Spandam had this genius plan to steal a bunch of makeshift battleships called the Battle Frankies in order to attack Water 7 and frame Tom’s cronies so Tom can get executed and get Pluton. As they turned to the dock to board the Battle Frankies, they were shocked to find a gigantic cyborg with gigantic black arms with gold stars, He had his legs crossed and was chugging an inhumanly large bottle of cola. The man’s eyes drifted towards Spandam and his crew and he detached the bottle from his mouth, heaving a satisfied sigh.

“Stealing is not that super, you know,” The man said, standing up, cracking his mechanical knuckles. “My friend Flam worked really hard on these.”

“What the hell are you?!” Spandam shouted, pointing his finger at the cyborg.

“Witness the greatness that is BF-40: SUPER GUTSO ME!” The man yelled, letting his arms clasp together, forming a giant gold star. Franky made improvements on himself after Wano, naming it BF-39: Super Armored Me. After fighting the World Government and Blackbeard back to back, his body was badly broken. When they arrived on Raftel, Franky got to tinker with various different technologies and weapons from the Void Century, dubbing himself Super Gutso Me. He decided to change his color scheme as the gold represented that he was number one. He was in fact number one, being the only one with such technology and knowledge.

“No matter how strong you are, you can’t stop me!” Spandam yelled, motioning for CP5 to brandish his weapons. Franky just rolled his eyes and held his fist out. Spandam’s face contorted into fear as dozen of weapons from a minigun to missile launchers to a meat cannon (for Luffy) sprouted from his arm, his weapons easily outnumbered CP5 2 to one.

“Do you surrender?” Franky asked, a smug smirk on his face.

“I surrender!”

* * *

“Nice!” Lami said as a blindfolded Nojiko dodged her clima-tact. She knew Nami specialized in Observation Haki, but she was pleasantly surprised when she found out that Nojiko specialized in Observation Haki as well.

“How are things going?” Bell-mere asked.

“I can dodge Lami’s staff without looking at it!” Nojiko exclaimed.

“That’s great!” Bell-mere exclaimed, a proud smile on her face. She didn’t have that much experience with Haki, but she understood that it was a requirement for anyone that wanted to survive the Grand Line. Though she had no desire for her adopted daughters to go to that hell, she wouldn’t interfere with their dreams.

“Now comes the fun part,” Lami said. Since Lami was busy helping Nojiko, Nami, who had already learnt the basics of Observation Haki was practicing shooting moving targets while blindfolded. It wasn’t the best way to practice, but it worked. “Nami, can you come over here?”

Nami instantly placed the gun down and ran over to Lami, lifting her blindfold. “What do you need?”

Lami split her clima-tact into two smaller rods and handed each girl a rod. “You two are going to spar while blindfolded.”

* * *

Chopper dragged himself through the snow, leaving a trail of blood behind him. He was freezing and was bleeding out from the gunshot would he received the previous day. “Damn it,” he cursed himself. He cursed his life, his blue nose, and the damn fruit that he ate that made him this way.

“Looks like things have been rough for you,” A voice eerily similar to Chopper’s could be heard from in front of him. Chopper looked up to see someone that looked identical to him, say for having a weird blue hat on. “Let me patch you up.”

“I’m… not alone…?” Chopper managed as the reindeer(?) picked him up.

“Call me Tony,” The reindeer man said, a soft smile on his face. “You won’t ever have to be alone again.”

* * *

Dragon heaved a sigh as he looked down at Ace, who was unconscious on a bed. Most of his wounds were healing nicely, but he had a terrible scar on his left arm. Dragon scowled as the door opened, revealing his wife.

“How is he?” Lily asked, genuine concern on her face.

“He’s healing well,” Dragon said in a gruff tone. “Who was that Hawks guy and how did you know him?”

“I honestly don’t know him too well,” Lily said. Dragon used an advanced form of Observation Haki to detect if she was lying. Usually he trusted his wife, but when such a powerful figure was in play, he couldn’t take any chances. “All I know is that Nico Iris is league with him and he is taking care of Luffy.”

Dragon nodded. No lies so far. “Why did you say you were proud of him if you barely know him?”

“I stopped by Dawn Island before he stopped on our ship,” Lily answered. Dragon nodded, prompting her to continue. “As I left, I could feel Luffy’s spirit. He was learning Haki, Dragon. I could tell from his spirit. Whoever this Hawks guy is has been training him.”

“I see,” Dragon sighed.

“Iris also got into contact with him earlier,” Lily said, causing Dragon to lean in, intrigued at what Hawks had to say with them.

“Hawks said that Ace took his mother’s name, as his existence is a well-kept secret,” Lily explained. Dragon heard about Gol. D Ace down the grapevine from some very sketchy sources. “He goes by Portgas D. Ace. I don’t know how he was able to do it, but Hawks said that he found out that he has potential for Conqueror’s Haki. He is capable of the bare minimum of Observation Haki and is learning Armament Haki. He is a prodigy in every sense of the word.”

“Did he say anything else?” Dragon asked.

Lily smiled. “That he was an ally to the Revolutionaries.”

* * *

“Hey pops!” Marco shouted. The Whitebeard Pirates were currently in a huge party celebrating waking up in the morning when Marco barged in.

“What is it, gaki?” Whitebeard asked, a huge smile on his face. He always appreciated taking to his kids, no matter what.

“There’s a ship in our path!” Marco said. “What are your orders?”

“Gurararara!” Whitebeard let out a hearty, booming laugh before raising his voice into a thundering roar. “What do you want to do?!”

“FIGHT!” His crew cheered in response. Whitebeard let out another laugh.

“Then we will fight!” Whitebeard exclaimed, standing up, walking out to the deck to see a ship that looked like it has been out at sea for decades with no repairs. “Marco, send them a warning shot.”

“Alright,” Marco smirked as blue flames surrounded him. It was a tradition for the Whitebeard Pirates to shoot a warning shot at their opponents before challenging them to a fight, as an ambush would only lead to an unfair fight.

Marco flapped his burning wings and flew up and towards the ship. As Marco approached, he suddenly veered to the side just in time to dodge a concentrated blast of ice, the ocean around the ship starting to freeze.

“What’s Kuzan doing on a worn down ship like this?” Whitebeard scowled. The sea then froze in a singular direction, creating a pathway to Whitebeard’s ship. Whitebeard was surprised when not the marine admiral, but two skeletons hopped down and walked towards the ship calmly, one of then having a black sword unsheathed.

“What should we do?” Marco asked, flying down to stand at Whitebeard’s side.

“I’ll go see what they want,” Whitebeard said, taking a step forward.

“But pops-!”

“I’d rather go in to see if they’re a threat myself than lose one of my brats,” Whitebeard said before jumping down the Moby Dick. As the ice cracked beneath him, Whitebeard noticed that the cracks reformed. If they wanted Whitebeard dead, they could have just let the ice break and leave him to drown. He walked forward until he and the two skeletons were only a couple meters apart. Whitebeard towered over the skeletons, who Whitebeard noticed looked almost exactly alike, but for some reason, Whitebeard couldn’t help but feel that the skeleton that was in front was a formidable force. nonetheless.

“My apologies, Whitebeard-san,” the leading skeleton took a bow. “As ice is not a primary part of my devil fruit, I must keep my sword out in order to keep us afloat.”

“I see,” Whitebeard rubbed his chin. He had never heard of a Devil Fruit that could revive the dead and utilize ice at the same time. Part of him wanted to say that it was a little overpowered, but considering he had the Gura Gura no mi, he couldn’t really say anything on the matter. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“My name is Bones and this is Brook,” The leading skeleton introduced them, gesturing towards Brook. Whitebeard couldn’t really gauge either of their expressions since they didn’t really have faces. “We are travelling musicians who are on our way to Water 7 for a ship.”

“Musicians, huh?” Whitebeard glared at the two, letting out a bit of Conqueror’s Haki at the two. He noticed Brook start to shiver, but Bones only smiled at him. His expression softened before he let out a booming laugh. “Gurarara! Just what we needed! We were having a party and what kind of party doesn’t have music?!”

“Yohohoho!” Bones laughed in response. “Trust me, we’ll be the life of the party. Ah, except I’m not alive. Yohohoho!”

Whitebeard and Brook joined in the laugh as Bones made the terrible joke. Whitebeard grinned. He liked these two. Depending on how they sounded, he considered adding them to his family.

* * *

Whitebeard was confused as to why Bones asked to take a small trip back to his ship but was pleasantly surprised when Brook and Bones brought a large number of instruments. They even let his crew play some of the percussion instruments as they sang as long as they were having fun. “Hey Bones!” Vista called. “I can sense the spirit of a fencer! We should have a duel!”

“I would love to, but I just got out of a tough battle, so I’m not at my prime,” Bones replied. “Maybe next time our paths cross we can duel.”

“Who did you fight?” Jozu smirked. “I know a lot of tough people out there. I want to gauge how strong you are.”

“Gecko Moria got his hands on the corpse of Ryuma,” Bones’ expression darkened. Literally everyone went silent.

“You fought the Sword God?” Atmos asked, visibly stunned.

“His body was decayed, so he was far from his full strength,” Bones said honestly. “I was lucky to escape with my life. Ah, except I don’t have a life (AN: Same). Yohohoho!”

With Bones’ joyous laughter, the energy returned to the party.

“Gurararara!” Whitebeard laughed. “You’re an interesting one! You should join the crew!”

“I am humbled by the offer,” Bones dipped his head to Whitebeard in respect, “but I cannot accept your offer. I already have a family in my crew who is waiting for me.”

“I can understand that,” Whitebeard’s smile grew despite the rejection. “You must have met some good people.”

“I have,” Bones nodded. “Rest assured, when our crew reunites, we will be more than happy to form an alliance with you.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Whitebeard smiled. If Bones’ crew had members as strong as he was, then forming an alliance would be very beneficial in the future. Bones smiled as he shook the giant man’s hand.

* * *

Franky kicked in the door to the Water 7 courtroom open, carrying Spandam in with him. “What is the meaning of this?!” The judge asked. Luckily, there was no court in session, but a judge was still there.

Franky threw Spandam on the floor and held out his arm, several guns sprouting from it. “What is your name?”

“My name is Spandam,” Spandam said, his face fearful.

“Are you the chief of CP5?”

“Yes.”

“Were you given permission to be on this island?”

“Yes.”

“Did you come here because of an appeal you made to the Gorosei?”

“How did you know about that?!” Spandam turned to him, his eyes wide with terror.

“Answer the question,” Franky demanded, two more guns sprouting from his arm.

“Yes…”

“Did you plan to use an ancient weapon to bring an end to the Great Pirate Era?”

“Y-yes…”

“Did you plan to steal and use the line of ships known as the Battle Frankies to attack the judicial ship coming tomorrow to put Tom on trial so you can frame his subordinates so you can get your hands on the blueprints for Pluton?”

“Yes…”

“Good,” Franky grabbed Spandam and threw him towards the judge, his guns retracting. “I trust you can take care of him until tomorrow, yes?”

“S-sure…” The judge said. Franky then threw a Black Den Den Mushi at him. The judge fumbled with the snail in his hands as Franky left the building.

* * *

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Makino asked Hawks as he downed his fifth keg of ale.

“I’m fine,” Hawks sighed. “Stupid weak ass ale. I can’t even get drunk.”

“I know you’re taking Ace’s death hard…” Makino said. She heard the news from a heartbroken Luffy who could barely make out two words before breaking out in tears.

“Ace isn’t dead,” Hawks said simply.

“I know it must be hard-,”

“I managed to rescue him just in time,” Hawks said, causing Makino to freeze. “I put him in the care of the Revolutionaries. He must be prepared for when the world goes after him.”

“I see,” Makino nodded. Hawks narrowed his eyes. Did Makino perhaps know about Ace’s true parents? “What seems to be the matter then?”

“It’s just…” Hawks sighed. “This is going to be a long eight years.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in an unknown island, a blonde woman with brown eyes and a flower tucked in her hair stared off into the sea. “I was lucky. If it weren’t for the Neko Neko no Mi Model: Black Cat, I wouldn’t get the chance to meet my son,” A sad smile grew on her face as she turned around. “I can’t wait to see you again, Ace.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rouge is alive too?! I know, right? I want to give a shoutout to The Patient One on ff.net, since the Franky scene was inspired by them in their fic "Changing the Future". As much as I want to continue through this part, I want to start with the actual story, which will be starting next chapter. If you want a separate fic describing the eight year timeskip, please let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	11. The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haha Alvida go brrrrrrr

Chapter 11: The Journey Begins

“Hawks?” A seventeen year old Monkey D. Luffy faced Hawks. “I know you said we needed to start on a ship, but why exactly are we on a cruise ship? This doesn’t seem all too pirate-y to me.”

“Of course, this isn’t pirate-y,” Hawks said, rubbing the back of his head. “I can’t really blame you, though. Alvida is pretty weak at this point and time.”

“Who’s Alvida?” Luffy tilted his head. At that point, the doors busted open, revealing the most unholy abomination of a woman anyone has ever seen followed by a group of pirates.

“That’s Alvida,” Hawks deadpanned. Luffy gagged, having to avert his eyes from the wretched creature. “Come on. We’re going to sneak into her ship.”

“I don’t want anything to do with that thing,” Luffy said, pinching his nose.

“You can punch her later,” Hawks sighed. He grabbed Luffy’s arms and with a gust of wind, they vanished.

* * *

Nami expertly weaved her way out of room where all the pirates were, heaving a sigh. _Lami’s gonna kill me when she finds out I’m missing,_ she thought to herself. Lami usually let Nami go out, but only if she or Bell-mere tagged along to supervise. She’s snuck out before, but she’s never gone this far. As she leaves the room, her eyes catch two figures. One with a red shirt and a straw hat and another with a dark green cape with the hood down. When she blinked, they were suddenly gone.

 _What just happened?_ Nami asked to herself, blinking rapidly. She shrugged the occurrence off as a trick of the light and continued to sneak off the ship.

* * *

Koby sighed with exasperation as he snuck into the kitchen. He was hungry as Alvida didn’t feed him all too well. He knew it wasn’t his fate to be a cabin boy for a third-class pirate, but to be a Marine fighting for justice. His face paled as the doors busted open, revealing several pirates.

“If it isn’t our local cabin boy,” One of the pirates said, causing everyone to chuckle. “What the hell are you doing in the kitchen? Shouldn’t you be mopping the deck?”

“I-I was asked to mop the kitchen!” Koby said, complimenting his quick thinking.

“Oh yeah?” The pirate asked. “Where’s your mop then?”

“Crap!” Koby exclaimed.

“Looks like someone’s in trouble,” The pirate held up a cutlass. Koby closed his eyes, bracing for the worst when he heard the sounds of fighting. He opened his eyes to realize that he wasn’t hurt at all, but two men were standing over a bunch of unconscious pirates.

“So, is this the kitchen?” The shorter one asked.

“Yeah, seems like it,” the taller one replied.

“Hey kid!” The shorter on called, causing Koby to stiffen. “Where’s the meat?”

“I don’t know,” Koby admitted. “Who are you?”

“I’m Luffy and I’m going to be the Pirate King!” The shorter one exclaimed.

“So, you’re a pirate?!” Koby exclaimed.

“Yep!” Luffy said. “We just started and it’s just me and Hawks over here, but we’ll get a crew soon!”

“It’s Hawks and I,” the taller man named Hawks said. “Anyways I’m Hawks and I’m just here for the ride. What’s your dream, kid?”

“I-I’m Koby and I’m going to be a Marine and fight for justice!” Koby exclaimed, deathly afraid that he might have offended the pirates. He didn’t know why he said it, but after being forced down by Alvida for so long, he needed to get it out. To his surprise, Hawks’ grin just grew wider.

“That’s a good dream, kid!” Hawks said, patting Koby on the shoulder. “It takes guts to tell a pirate you want to be a Marine. How about we get you out of here so you can achieve your dream?”

“R-really?!” Koby asked.

“What do you think, Luffy?” Hawks asked.

“If you want to be a Marine, you should be free to do it,” Luffy said. “There’s nothing I hate more than people trying to take away the freedom of others.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Hawks said with a smirk on his face. “Luffy, if you will.”

“Flame Cannon!” Koby jumped back in shock as Luffy’s arm caught fire, expanding in size as he shot his fist in the air, a torrent of flames crashing through the roof. Koby was equally surprised to see that none of the wood had caught fire when the flames subsided.

“Let’s go,” Hawks said as he grabbed Koby. Before he could protest, Hawks jumped in the air, flying over the deck. He landed a few meters away from Alvida. A devilish smirk on his face. “So, are you the captain?”

* * *

Hawks smirked as he saw Alvida. He dropped Koby, who scrambled behind him. It was hard to believe that the timid little boy behind him would become next in line for Fleet Admiral after Smoker retired. “Yes, I’m the captain,” Alvida swung her club behind her back. “What about it?”

“Your ugliness stood out so much that you couldn’t be anything other than the captain,” Luffy said as he hopped up to stand next to Hawks.

“What was that?!” Alvida shouted, her face turning red.

“Yeah, you have a face that only Big Mom can love,” Hawks said, chuckling a little bit. “On second thought, there’s a reason you’re not one of her 43 lovers.”

“Koby!” Alvida shouted, desperate for some positive attention. “Who is the most beautiful woman in the world?”

“Boa Hancock obviously,” Koby said. Since Hawks was dropping names, Koby thought he would try to sound smart in his rebellion as well. “You would shrivel up in her presence like the gremlin you are.”

“Koby!” Alvida shouted, charging for the boy. “You’re courting death!”

“That’s enough out of you,” Hawks’ coated his finger with Haki and with a flick of his finger, Alvida was sent flying to the horizon.

“So strong…” Koby said.

“If you want to become a higher rank in the Marines, you’ll have to be at least that strong,” Hawks gave Koby a smile, but Koby felt anything but comfortable. “Anyways, there’s a Marine base in Shells Town. I was going to meet up with a friend over there. Let’s head there!”

“How are we going to get there?” Luffy asked.

“That,” Hawks pointed to an emergency boat on Alvida’s ship. “Have you been keeping up with your Rokushiki practice?”

“Your Fist of Love is worse that the shitty gramps,” Luffy grumbled.

“Anyways, let’s go!” Hawks grabbed Koby and used Geppo to get over to the boat, Luffy following not too far behind.

* * *

“How the hell were you able to walk on thin air?!” Koby exclaimed as they got off the boat on the docks of Shells Town.

“You’ve asked that like ten times already,” Hawks said as they walked down the streets. “It’s just Geppo.”

“What’s Geppo?!”

“One of the Rokushiki.”

“What the hell is a Rokushiki!”

“Oh look, there’s Tagashi!” Hawks pointed at a blue haired girl with a sword. “Her sword’s different, though… Wait…! That’s Zoro’s sword!”

“Who’s Tagashi and who’s Zoro?” Luffy asked.

“Some old friends,” Hawks said. “I’m going to go talk to her.”

“Hawks, you shouldn’t be talking to strangers with weapons,” Koby said nervously.

“I’ll be fine!” Hawks walked up to the girl. “Hey, have you seen a man with green hair, a bunch of swords, and a bad sense of direction?”

“You know Asura-sesnei?!” The girl exclaimed. “I really need your help then!”

“Yes, I totally know him,” Hawks nodded. He didn’t know if Zoro decided to take up Asura as his new name but shrugged it off. It sounded like something Zoro would do. “What’s up?”

“Asura-sensei got himself caught by the Marines because he stood up for a family,” The girl said, a disgusted expression on her face. “So much for justice. He’s been tied to a cross for the past two days!”

“Two days?” Hawks rubbed his chin. “He’s a bit early.”

“Early?” The girl asked.

“Nothing,” Hawks said immediately. “You must be Asura’s student, then. What’s your name?”

“Shimotsuki Kuina.”

* * *

“Hey Luffy!” Hawks called as he stared down the Marine Base. “Can you go through the base and try to find Asura’s swords?”

“What do they look like?” Luffy asked as he walked up with Kuina and Koby.

“If you see katanas, they’re probably his,” Hawks said. “Would you mind taking Koby?”

“Nope!” Luffy ran into the base. “C’mon, Koby!”

“O-okay!” Koby ran off, following Luffy. It only took a few seconds for jets of flames to burst through windows and walls.

“What the hell…?” Kuina looked at the scene, completely dumbfounded.

“Did Asura not teach you about Devil Fruits?” Hawks turned to Kuina.

“He did, but I didn’t think they’d be that powerful,” Kuina said, completely awestruck.

“This is nothing,” Hawks let out a laugh. “Just wait until Asura meets our cook.”

* * *

Asura had his eyes closed as he was in a meditative state. He didn’t know when Luffy would show up, but he didn’t really have much better to do. “Mister!” Rika called, causing Asura to open his eyes. The little girl was holding out a rice ball to him. Asura was about to say something when a presence caught his eye. “I made these for you!”

“Hold on for a couple minutes,” Asura smiled. At that moment, a familiar man walked up to Asura with his beloved student.

“You look like shit,” Asura’s captain said.

“Thanks for the compliment, captain,” Asura said. He noticed Kuina jump slightly when he said the word. “What do you go by now?”

“Hawks,” The man replied with a smile on his face. “Where’s your smaller half?”

“Dead,” Asura said, a grim expression on his face. “There wasn’t much I could do about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Hawks said. “You could see mine turned out a bit… different.”

At that moment, a jet of flames broke through the wall, Luffy and Koby running out. “I couldn’t find any swords!”

“Of course,” Asura freed his arms and dug in his pockets, grabbing a small cylindric case. Prince had visited everyone in the East Blue and gave him some of his capsules. The capsules were storage devices developed by Germa 66, using similar technology to the cases they Vinsmokes used for their raid suits. When he opened the capsule, three katanas sprouted from the capsule as Asura freed his legs. Asura grabbed the swords: Wado Ichimonji, Shodai Kitetsu, and Shusui. (AN: I didn’t mention this earlier but Asura’s Wado is a Kokuto which is why Kuina never brought up the similarities between the two blades.)

“I see you’re putting the capsules to good use,” Hawks said.

“Knowing you, you’d just store food in them,” Asura sighed.

“Something like that,” Hawks said, a smirk on his face.

“Who’s this?” Luffy turned to Asura.

“Oh, he’s our next crewmate!” Hawks said.

* * *

“What?!” Kunia exclaimed. Asura calling Hawks captain was one thing, but Asura actually joining his crew and becoming a pirate was another.

“What?” Everyone turned to her, a blank expression on their face.

“You didn’t say anything about joining pirates!” Kuina shouted. When they set off on their journey, Asura explained that it was time for her to sail the sea and meet different kinds of swordsmen until she faced the greatest swordsman in the world. The word “pirates” wasn’t even brought up in their conversation.

“Kuina,” Asura looked at Kuina with an unreadable expression. She stiffened. She’s seen this look when he was either deep in thought of dishing out words of wisdom. “What is your dream?”

“To become the best swordsman in the world,” Kuina said. No matter how scared she was, she was never too scared to declare her dream.

“Luffy,” Asura turned to the boy with the Straw Hat. Luffy stiffened slightly as Asura’s gaze bore on him, Kuina tilted her head. Did anyone tell him Luffy’s name? “What’s your dream?”

“I’m going to become the Pirate King!” Luffy shouted. Kuina gave a soft smile. Even though she didn’t know Luffy for that long, she started to find things she had in common with him.

“Both of you have very ambitious goals,” Kuina was surprised when not Asura, but Hawks continued her sensei’s point. “It would be a lot more productive if you helped each other become stronger.”

“That makes sense, I think,” Luffy rubbed his chin, the blank expression not leaving his face. “Whatever. As long as I get a new crewmate, I’m fine with that!”

“What the hell is going on?!” Everyone turned to see Morgan stomp out of the hole Luffy made through the wall, his son following suit.

“Papa! That’s the one!” Helmeppo shouted, pointing at Luffy. “He’s the one who punched me!”

“How dare you punch my son!” Morgan threw his coat off, revealing that one of his hands was replaced by an axe. “I’ll kill you!”

“Kuina,” Asura said, causing Kuina’s attention. “Consider this a test.”

Kuina nodded. Part of her knew that he wanted her to show Luffy and Hawks how strong she was, considering Morgan was pitifully week. Morgan clumsily ran at the group, his axe raised. When he slashed at Kuina, the axe seemingly went through her body seamlessly, Kuina not reacting at all. “Wha-,”

“That was an afterimage,” Kuina was behind Morgan, her hand on the hilt of her sword. As she sung her sword, Sakura blossoms flew through the air as a large gash appeared on Morgan’s back. Morgan then fell over, unconscious or dead.

“She’s not bad,” Hawks whistled. “My kid’s better, though.”

“What was that, captain?” Asura glared at his captain, a demonic aura emanating from the ronin. “You may be my captain, but I can’t accept your words this time.”

“What? Wanna fight?” Hawks winded up his arm, emanating a wave of crushing aura, causing Helmeppo and any Marine 30 meters of him pass out.

“I’ve never seen this side of sensei,” Kuina said honestly. Luffy sighed.

“Hawks did this once when fighting the shitty gramps,” Luffy sighed. “Last time he picked a fight, we lost a tenth of the island.”

Kuina gaped at Luffy. Just how strong was this Hawks guy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the journey begins! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	12. The Clown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buggy gets clowned

Chapter 12: The Clown

“I still haven’t agreed to this,” Kuina pouted as she, Luffy, Hawks, and Asura sailed away from Shells town.

“If you can beat Hawks in a fight, we can change course,” Asura said.

“Oh, a fight?” Hawks was looking through up, spacing out.

“I don’t recommend you try,” Asura heaved a sigh.

“I’m hungry,” Luffy moaned.

“You shouldn’t have eaten all the food, then!” Kuina shouted. She wondered how one person could eat so much food. They have only been sailing off for about half an hour and Luffy managed to eat 50 kilos of meat while Asura chugged 10 barrens of booze.

“I didn’t know you were such an alcoholic, sensei,” Kuina said honestly. She wasn’t against drinking alcohol. Asura actually took her for a cup of sake the first time she managed to land a hit on him (she doesn’t remember too much about what happened them), but she believes that too much alcohol would inhibit one ability to fight.

“You know, I bet the only thing he actually trained these past eight year was his alcohol tolerance!” Hawks said with a joyous laugh.

“I trained Kuina too,” Asura said. Kuina scowled as she noticed that Asura didn’t deny his claim.

“Hey look, a bird!” Hawks pointed a large, pink bird. “Hey Luffy, let’s go get lunch!”

“Meat!” Luffy exclaimed as he grabbed on to Hawks’ arm. To Kuina’s absolute shock, Hawks’ free arm stretched out a several dozen meters, wrapping around the beak of the bird.

“What the fu-,” Kuina was cut off as he and Luffy shot off to the bird.

“You’ll learn to live with it,” Asura sighed.

“You’ve met Hawks and Luffy before?” Kuina asked as the two flew off.

“I used to sail with Hawks before I stopped by to train you,” Asura said.

“You were a pirate?!” Kuina asked in shocked.

“One of the best,” Asura’s eyes followed the two men as they flew off into the distance.

* * *

“Whoooo!” Hawks cheered as he flew down towards the ground after the bird got shot down by a cannon. He and Luffy dived down. “Follow me, Luffy!”

Hawks used Geppo to occasionally steer his body a few degrees as he fell while Luffy turned his lower half into a torrent of flames, boosting his speed. Hawks locked on to Nami as he kicked the air. He did a flip, landing on both feet between an orange-haired girl and a group of pirates as Luffy hovered a bit before the flames on his lower reverting to legs.

“Hey boss!” The girl shouted, catching Hawks’ attention. “Glad you could make it!”

Luffy tilted his head in confusion, but Hawks did what the girl was doing. “Seems you’re having a little trouble. You get the stuff?”

“Y-yeah!” The girl said, pointing her finger at the pirates that were chasing her. “Can you take care of those guys for me?”

“No problem!” Hawks turned to the pirates. “So, you think you can mess with my underling, huh?”

“So, you’re the boss, huh?” One of the pirates said, smirking as he pointed his cutlass at Hawks. “I just need to take care of you and Captain Buggy will praise me!”

“Luffy, you want to take this one?” Hawks asked as he crossed his arms.

“Sure!” Luffy winded up his arm.

* * *

Nami rubbed her temples as she looked at the duo. She looked at the guy who was winding up his fist. She thought she saw fire come from the man’s legs earlier. She shrugged it off. Since Lami could control the weather, she reasoned that it was something similar. “Burning Eagle!” The man shouted as he threw a punch. Nami thought it was weird that he threw a punch a few meters from the pirates, but she jumped back in shock when his fist turned into a torrent of flames. She gazed in wonder as the flames took form until a majestic, burning eagle flapped its wings as if flew towards the pirates, sending them flying. Nami was even more amazed when there were no traces of fire when the eagle dissipated.

“You’ve been improving,” The taller man said, ruffling the shorter one’s hair.

“Thanks!” The shorter man said before they turned to Nami.

“Name’s Hawks, and this is Luffy,” The taller man said, gesturing towards the shorter man.

“Thanks for the save,” Nami said. “I’m Nami.”

“You know, my brat is kind of hungry and we have no money,” Hawks said as he nudged Luffy, who just pouted and puffed out his cheeks, looking away. “Would you mind if you got us some food?”

“Sure!” Nami exclaimed. She had a bit of extra money and it was the least she could do for her saviors, even if she intended to trick them earlier. She didn’t know about Luffy, but Hawks caught on to her trick very quickly and decided to play along. Maybe they could be worth keeping around. _As strong as they are, I’m not sure they could protect me from Lami’s wrath, though,_ Nami sighed. “Follow me. I know where to get some food.”

* * *

“So, you stole from Buggy, huh?” Hawks said as he shoved a large piece of meat.

“Yeah, I stole a map from him,” Nami said honestly.

“So, you’re a navigator?” Hawks asked.

“Yep!” Nami said proudly.

“You should join our crew!” Luffy exclaimed as he swallowed a chicken leg, bone and all.

“You’re pirates?!” Nami exclaimed, images of Arlong and his crew trying to take over her village. If Lami wasn’t there to save them, she didn’t want to imagine what would have happened to her. “Hell no!”

“Why not?” Luffy asked. “It’ll be fun!”

“Even if I wanted to, Lami and Bell-mere would _never_ let me leave the village! Hell, I’m not even supposed to be here!” Nami exclaimed.

“Well, let’s just prove that you’re ready to go out to explore the sea,” Hawks said casually.

“How do you intend to do that?” Nami asked. Even if she didn’t want to join them, Hawks’ idea intrigued her.

“I have a plan.”

* * *

“Hey Buggy!” Nami called as she led a tied up Luffy and Hawks to Buggy’s lair.

“What do you want?!” Buggy demanded, an angry expression on his face.

“I caught the real thieves!” Nami exclaimed, shoving Luffy and Hawks over to him.

“Really?!” Buggy laughed loudly as two pirates dragged Luffy and Hawks to a cage. “Now _that’s_ flashy! Let’s party!”

Nami shot Hawks and Luffy an apologetic look as the pirates started to shout and drink loudly. “It’s okay,” Hawks smiled at Nami, speaking as if he read her mind. “Help is on the way.”

Before Nami could open her mouth to ask, a loud explosion caused her to jump. “Behold the power of the Buggy Ball!” A loud cheer followed Buggy’s declaration as a cannon was wheeled towards the cage. “You two! For stealing from me, I sentence you to death by a _flashy_ execution!”

“Nami!” Buggy called the girl over, handing her a match. “I’ll let you do the honors.”

Nami wanted to shout, but she refrained to keep the act. She looked at Hawks for what to do next, but he just smiled and winked at hear, Luffy giggling a bit. “Shishishishishi.”

“What’s so funny?!” Buggy shouted at Luffy, who just shook his head, continuing to laugh. “Nami, hurry up already!”

“O-okay!” Nami inched the match towards the fuse nervously but stopped when the ceiling shattered.

“Now, who’s fucking with my girl?”

* * *

Nami shuddered as the form of Lami appeared as the smoke started to settle. She was so dead. “Lami!” Nami exclaimed, her voice slightly fearful.

“We’ll talk later,” Lami said as she turned to Hawks and Luffy. “Quite a pickle you’re in there. Want me to help out?”

“It’s up to you,” Hawks said as he broke out of the ropes while Luffy burned his away.

“Is that…?” Lami asked, looking genuinely shocked.

“Not my fault,” Hawks shrugged as he tore opened the bars, casually walking out.

“Stop ignoring me!” Buggy shouted.

“Shock tempo!” Lami shouted, pointing her staff towards the Buggy Pirates. The tip of the staff opened up, shooting a bolt of lightning that jumped from pirate to pirate, causing them to scream in pain before slumping on the floor, unconscious. “Prince told me you go by Hawks now.”

“Yeah,” Hawks smirked. “You go by Lami now, right?”

“Yep!” Lami said. “It’s nice to see you again, captain.”

“Captain?!” Nami exclaimed, pointing a finger at Lami. “You were a pirate?!”

“You don’t get to talk!” Lami shouted, punching Nami on the head. “I can’t believe you had to rely on these two to take out these weaklings!”

“Ow!” Nami shouted, rubbing her head.

“Where’s Asura?” Lami asked, spinning her staff in her hand.

“He should be arriving around…”

“What the fuck, Hawks?!” Asura and Kuina jumped into the hole that Lami made. “Oh, it’s the witch.”

“Say that again!” Lami shouted as she punched Asura on the head.

“Jeez, I get it, I get it,” Asura sighed, waving the woman off.

“Who’s this?” Lami turned to Kuina.

“My name is Shimotsuki Kuina,” Kuina bowed her head respectfully at Nami. “I’ve never met anyone who could best my sensei in combat. You must be very strong.”

“Nah, Z- Asura is was stronger than me,” Lami waved her hand dismissively. “My name is Lami. I’m sorry that you’ve have to put up with this muscle-brained swordsman over here.”

“Watch what you’re saying,” Asura grumbled.

“Hey guys?” Luffy butted in. “Where’s Buggy?”

“Eh, he probably ran away, the stupid coward,” Lami sighed. “Anyways, who was supposed to come up next?”

Suddenly, a lion broke through the walls, growling at the group. “Now, who decided to stand up against the Buggy Pirates?” A man Hawks barely recognized as Mohji said, a smug smirk on his face.

“I got this one,” Hawks said. With a glare, both the man and the lion were rendered unconscious.

“Excuse me, but what the fuck?” Nami asked, looking back and forth between Hawks and the unconscious duo.

“It’s Conqueror’s Haki,” Lami explained.

“Damn, I wish I had that!” Nami groaned. She remembered her Haki lessons with Lami and her saying that Conqueror’s Haki was extremely strong, capable of defeating armies without lifting a finger.

“Anyways, let’s go,” Hawks said as he stepped out of the wall that Richie made in the wall.

* * *

With the rest of the Buggy Pirates defeated, that left only Buggy and Cabaji. “A swordsman on a unicycle,” Kuina rubbed her chin. “Interesting.”

“That’s the one who knocked me out!” Buggy shouted, pointing at Lami. “Kill her!”

“Hai, captain!” Cabaji rode towards Lami, but was forced to stop when Kuina jumped in, slashing his sword at the acrobat.

“That is someone I respect deeply,” Kuina said with a serious tone. “I won’t let you kill her.”

“So be it,” Cabaji said, a smug smirk on his face.

“She really idolizes you if me hitting you on the head warrants such respect,” Lami said, rubbing the back of her head.

“It took six years for her to land a hit on me,” Asura said simply.

“That’s not bad,” Lami commented as she looked at Kuina. “My Observation Haki tells me she is very strong.”

“No one in the first half of Paradise could even lay a finger on her,” Asura said proudly.

“Shinku no hana (Crimson blossom)!” Kuina shouted, swinging Wado at Cabaji. A gash appeared on Cabaji’s chest, but instead of blood, red petals flew out of the man’s would as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Useless!” Buggy shouted as he walked up to Kuina.

“Let me take this bastard!” Luffy shouted. “I want a decent fight too!”

“Something about that Straw Hat pisses me off,” Buggy growled. “I considered recruiting you guys, but I guess I’ll have to kill you instead.”

“You know, Shanks gave Luffy that hat,” Hawks said, causing Buggy to stiffen.

“That red-haired bastard?!” Buggy exclaimed.

“You know Shanks?!” Luffy exclaimed.

“I’ll never forgive that bastard…” Buggy growled. “Back when we were still-,”

“Blah, blah, blah, just get on with the fight already,” Hawks rolled his eyes.

“Fine, but you’re next!” Buggy shouted. “Bara Bara Festival!”

Buggy’s body spit up into multiple chunks and they moved forward, surrounding Luffy.

“Flame Cyclone!” Luffy shot his hands towards the group and a gigantic fire tornado formed around the both of them.

“Man, the Mera Mera no mi is pretty powerful,” Lami said, nodding.

“You should have taken the Goro Goro no mi when you had the chance,” Hawks said as the sounds of fighting could be heard from inside the cyclone.

“If I ate a Devil Fruit, then who would be there to save your ass when you inevitably fall into the ocean again?” Lami said, sighing.

As she said that, the cyclone vanished, revealing Luffy, his arms black with Armament Haki and all of Buggy’s limbs on the floor. “Impossible…” Buggy said. “How can a brat from the East Blue know Haki?!”

“I guess I taught him well,” Hawks said as he walked up and crouched before Buggy’s head. “You ought to get stronger, or there’s no chance you’ll beat us.”

* * *

Hawks dusted his hands as he finished throwing each individual part of Buggy as far as he could in random directions. “Knowing you, one of his parts ended up in the West Blue,” Lami said, shaking her head.

“So, what now?” Nami asked, rubbing her chin.

“Right now, we need to get your ass back to Cocoyashi village and apologize to Bell-mere for worrying her!” Lami shouted, punching Nami’s head. “But first, we have to get our sniper and our cook.”

“What do you mean ‘our’?” Nami asked. Lami smirked.

“Well, we’re going to join this fine crew, of course!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I kind of decided to take yesterday off. I've always imagined Kuina's sword style to be based off blossoms and such, I don't really know why. Thoughts, inquiries, and critiques welcome! I would love to know what you think of my story and how I can improved! Thank you for reading.


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